What A Woman's Heart Really Needs
by Goldenflower123
Summary: Kikyo Bellflower decides to open San Francisco's first ever women catering host club with her boyfriend Renji Abrari, and her sister Alice Rosewood by her side. At first their was music, laughter, and passion in the air, especially with Alice being the object of every male employees desire. Then when tragedy shatters their world, Alice will find love in the best of places.
1. Weekend Plans For the Future Part 1 of 2

**A/N****: Hello and welcome everyone to my first ever Bleach Fanfiction story! I've been writing in another forum, a cartoon called Chaotic for a while now, but I haven't updated anything, not even a single chapter, in over a year because of a combination of lacking in motivation, the constant grind of college courses, and just not having enough time. It's depressing when I think about it (much less admit it to an online audience) but it is undoubtingly true none the less. If anyone is going to, already enrolled, or getting ready to graduate from college, hopefully you understand what that feeling is like. Thankfully however I'll be walking across the stage to receive my diploma in the spring of 2020; at least now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and soon I'll be free if this bottomless trench separating me and my computer!**

**Anyway, to give you a brief bio about how "What a Woman's Heart Really Needs" came to be, I first have to go back towards the beginning of the year. I've always loved Anime; Cowboy Bebop, Trinity Blood, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Pokemon, Inuyasha, Trigun, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Sailor Moon, Wedding Peach, Hellsing Ultimate, Uta No Prince Sama… I could go on and on. But Bleach is the one series that I'm particularly passionate about. The memorable characters, the creativity of the plots… I just LOVE everything about this series. Although I have to admit to everyone; I haven't read a single page of the Manga series. I know, I know you all are probably thinking: '**_**what the hell is wrong with you!?**_**' But let's be honest; who has that much shelf space for **_**that**_** many Manga books from just **_**one**_** series? It's even more difficult for me because I've been hoarding books of all genres for years ever since I was in elementary school. Seriously I've filled up three bookshelves already and have several storage boxes FULL of books at my parents' house! I'm not even going to mention my collection of movies, and not just the anime kind either! Maybe when I have my own place I'll reserve a few shelves for the Bleach Manga, but that won't be coming anytime soon. **

**Getting back on topic now. While I was scrolling through the Bleach Fanfiction channels looking for another evening read on my Ipad that was when I spotted one that immediately caught my attention. It was titled 'The General Nuisance' by Awen Sofer and I loved it instantly. Not only did it feature one (of many) of my favorite male characters from Bleach, Kensei Muguruma, but the entire background was in a modern, realistic setting and didn't follow the actual anime. You don't see very many of those, especially written so well! After finishing the story a few nights later, I became curious about Awen Sofer's other works and let me tell you, all of his/her Bleach based stories are amazing! Very imaginative and well put together. The Fullmetal Alchemist ones aren't bad either. I HIGHLY recommend everyone to go to their page and check them out! I have to warn you though, most are rated M, so be prepared for that. But the one story by Awen Sofer I'm having a strong emotional affair with is called 'Love with No Reservations' and it's that story that gave me the inspiration for "What a Woman's Heart Really Needs". But despite having a host club featured in my story (similar to the one in Awen Safer's mentioned piece), mine will be an entirely different storyline with a different female lead of my own creation, plus other characters from the Anime itself. Some of the males featured in 'Love With no Reservations' will be switch out with others I like better, but a few like Ichigo and Grimmjow, will stay right where they are. Because who doesn't like the thought of sitting next to our favorite panther and strawberry while their dressed in a suit and tie, I mean come on? Plus "What a Woman's Heart Really Needs" will also have tragedy, hurt and comfort thrown in to coincide with the romance of this harem-type story, just to give you a vague idea of how the plot is going to go. So there will be some drama in this one fairly early on before the story will be completely taken over with all the lovey-dovey stuff. Not something I'm done before in Fanfiction, if my Chaotic works are anything to go by, but since I'm 'growing' in my writing skills I want to branch out and do something different.**

**Plus its good practice for my Creative Writing Major! **

**The M rating of "What a Woman's' Heart Really Needs" is partly due to the occasional cursing from certain characters, sexual innuendos and descriptions of injuries [spoiler alert!]. But the biggest has to do with the (cough, cough) lemons. HOWEVER, the lemons I'm afraid, won't be happening for a while. So for anyone who's only reading this for that purpose will have to be patient. Also the host club and guys that will be a part of the story wouldn't actually come in until probably chapter 3, since the first two installments are mainly for introducing and getting familiar with the three main characters. Not just the one female lead I've mentioned before. Sorry for those couple of disappoints, but the wait will be worth it I promise!**

**So without further ado… Lights, Camera, Action! **

**Disclaimer****: I don't own anything associated with Bleach; including its characters, the Anime, or the Manga. I only own my main character and this inspired plot. **

Streams of golden rays of the morning sun were beginning to peak through the sheer, pearl white floor length curtains. Natural light has always been this bedrooms greatest component, only enhanced by the three, floor to ceiling length, full arched head windows set side by side on the north wall. It gives occupants a gorgeous hilltop view of the Pacific coastline without actually being right by the water. But the view wasn't the only striking feature in this private living space. As the minutes ticked by, more and more light continued to soak everything within the overly large white and light silver themed room, until the last thing to be bathed completely was the Alaska king sized bed that only took up the middle section of the opposite wall. The bed was adorned in an ornate wire head and foot board, custom made with stunning angel wing and trumpet designs throughout, and painted a pearly white to match the décor. The bed comforter was white and plush; giving it the look of a cozy cloud you couldn't wait to lay on while the bed skirt was chic and frilly. The subtle shimmery pale feathers that patterned the comforter drew the eye up towards the head of the bed, where a mountain of pillows of various size, shapes, and styles would be if they weren't stacked in a neat pile of matching colors at the left side of the room. Instead they were next the doorway leading into the master sized bath. In their place laid two massive (in size and length) cotton stuffed pillows below the headboard, covered in silver pillow cases to match the sheets that lay beneath the comforter.

The object that stuck out the most on this bed though was the platinum blond tresses that still slept soundly, not even the sunlight had stirred the young woman. That is until the metallic silver, twin bell alarm clock sitting on the right bedside table came to life. Its old fashioned round clock face showed 6:30 am all the while blaring out that obnoxious, clanking metal sound that most people despise hearing this early in the morning. But it was necessary for her, as Alice Rosewood was by nature a heavy sleeper and needed a loud sound like this device produced to break through her hibernation state. It worked brilliantly as it always had. Because a moment later her head shifted to the side so Alice could easily open one of her baby blue eyes to confirm the time. With a sing-a-long hum the young woman shimmied her way towards the right side of the bed, then reaching over to gingerly tap the top of the clock with her hand to thereby silence it. When she did Alice straightened up completely in bed to stretch out the stiff muscles of her upper body, while allowing one morning yawn to pass her natural pink lips.

Even with a disheveled mane of soft curly hair and only dressed in her simple, but intricate designed white cotton pajama set - consisting of a tank top with spaghetti straps and short-shorts – Alice was still the epitome for what a vibrant 24-year-old adult female should look like. Her hour glass figure was flawless and perfectly curved, snow white skin only highlights her long smooth legs. But its Alice's heart shaped face that steals the show every time: not many people can say they've met an angel on earth. But after interacting with her only once, more and more believe it. The vibrant rosy shade of her cheeks blooms furthermore when a glowing smile brightens Alice's already sun bathed room as she takes a moment to enjoy the promising new day.

"What a perfect way to start a Saturday." Alice sighs, her voice no higher than a whisper of spring air.

Even though it was the weekend, meaning her waitressing skills at the Café (where she worked) weren't needed until early Monday morning, Alice still got up at the exact same time regardless. Because (1.) she didn't believe in wasting daylight and (2.) she and her housemates made it a household law to do something fun together every Saturday, so getting up early was a must.

But not before a good, hearty breakfast and some coffee.

Just the thought of food made Alice's tummy start to rumble, prompting her to step out from under the covers and onto the lusciously soft, grey carpet floor. Afterwards she swiftly made her bed; which didn't take long at all since Alice didn't toss and turn much in her sleep. Once every pillow was back where it belonged, Alice immediately turned around and went straight to the doorway leading into the hall. Beforehand she plucked a long cashmere, denim blue boho styled robe with white water colored roses on it, off the ornate wall hanger. Knowing it would be at least another hour before fellow female housemate Kikyo woke up, Alice decided to wait to get dressed. But it was still inappropriate for a lady to walk around half naked when another housemate of hers was male, so wearing a robe for the time being would be in order. To complete her mid-morning look, Alice slid her new favorite pair of white, faux fur slippers she bought online from Pottery Barn on her feet. The robe Alice was currently putting on was long sleeved and wasn't super thin like cashmere, but there was enough material to keep her warm without making her too hot. Once the robe was synched around her small waist securely, the young blond finally walked out into the quiet hallway.

Even with the sun shining brightly from the nearby bay windows, the spacious square shaped corridor was still dim, and judging from the dark area above the cream spiral staircase leading to the third floor to her left, Kikyo wasn't going to be up and around anytime soon. Then again she wasn't much of a morning person in the first place. But it was evident her boyfriend, Renji, was. Because on the opposite end of the cherry wood lined hall was another set of spiraled stairs, but this one lead to the ground level and it looked like a few lamps had been left on. Alice smiled to herself as she crept silently along the hardwood, then being extra careful when descending the tricky metal steps, holding onto the railing just to be safe.

Once safely descended and standing on the first floor, Alice was immediately meet with the perfect view of the professional sized kitchen area, but the young blond ignored it for a second. Instead she turned and walked down the short hallway to seek out the only other awakened soul in the house. Already having a pretty good idea of where Kikyo's boyfriend could be; if the unnatural yellow hue squeezing through the cracks from underneath the closed door that housed the spacious indoor gym was anything to go by. Alice stepped close to the designated entryway and pressed her ear against it: hearing the occasional masculine grunts of effort and the faint clinks of metal weights almost immediately. This was a daily morning routine for Renji, he always went to bed incredibly early every night (so he could get up even earlier in the morning) to either weight lift, do floor exercises, or run a few miles on the treadmill before going to work himself. It was Renji's way of, 'keeping in shape' as he's stated. Even on the weekends the red head still does it so he doesn't slake off.

Renji was apparently listening to music too. Alice caught a few verses of "Thunder" by his favorite band, Imagine Dragons, from somewhere in the background. Luckily for the workout buff it was at an acceptable volume. Despite being given a fancy new skull candy Bluetooth headset for Christmas a couple years ago, Renji still preferred using a stereo speaker during his morning workouts. Alice didn't mind it; she and Renji had always shared an eclectic and similar taste in music. But it drove their housemate Kikyo crazy until she threated to break the speaker to a million pieces if Renji didn't keep his music down and wake her up at ungodly hours. That (_genuine!_) threat was enough for the red headed man be more cautious and doesn't shake the house quite like he used to.

Alice smiled again to herself but didn't move to go in. She didn't want to disturb him. Instead the young blond merely turned and walked back into the kitchen to start breakfast. The welcoming smell of crispy bacon, hash browns, biscuits, fruit, and coffee always tempts Renji into taking a quick break.

Alice wasn't a skilled chef per-say: in fact she preferred baking sweets like cakes and cookies as opposed to whipping up cuisine. But it didn't take long for the baby blue eyed blond to figure out that Renji and Kikyo couldn't cook to save to lives after moving in with them. In fact the last time Renji tried to toast bread, he about choked Kikyo and Alice to death from smoke inhalation! Thankfully breakfast foods wasn't that hard to master and for that Alice, and her housemates, were grateful to her.

It only took Alice minutes to extract all the ingredients and cooking utensils she would need from the nearby pantry, refrigerator, and stained wood cabinets before getting to work. Preheating the oven first for the biscuits, Alice then placed twelve of the doughy morsels on a baking sheet. She left the sheet right where it was on the counter until the oven chimed. Turning her attention now on the bacon, as those would take the longest to cook, Alice turned on a section of the stove top before sitting a nonstick pan over the blue propane flames. Twenty-five minutes passes by in the blink of an eye for the blond women. In between flipping the bacon and hash browns (plus sliding the prepared biscuits into the burning oven), Alice cleared off the counter and put away all the unused food in their designated places. Then when the counter was no longer occupied, Alice promptly set up the plates, silverware, small porcelain bowls of premade mixed fruit, and drinking glasses that would be needed for the meal as the bacon, hash browns, and biscuits were nearing completion.

"I thought I smelled something good in here." Said a male's deep, rich voice from behind.

Alice looked over her left shoulder from scooping the charred meat from the still sizzling pan and onto a paper towel covered platter, to spot the powerfully build body of her childhood friend Renji as he was exiting the hallway and into the living space.

Renji Abarai is tall for a 27 year old, about 6'2", making him a physically imposing individual. Contributing to this look, his long, thick crimson hair with a widow's peak hairline that goes all the way down to the middle of his back, narrow shaped brown eyes, and black tribal tattoos covering nearly every prominent area on his lightly tanned body (including his eyebrows and forehead which are more defined). With that combination of striking features, it was easy for strangers to mistake Renji for a stereotypical punk or gangbanger. But he was anything but when you really get to know him: even if the red head did have his hot headed moments to coincide with his flippant personality. Alice just knew Renji liked to look fierce and intimidating to project what a strong individual he actually was.

Now was no exception. Renji doesn't wear shirts when he was working out (less gym cloths for him to wash later), so currently he only had on loose fitted grey sweat pants, black tube socks and a maroon hand towel draped around his bare neck to wipe off any sweat he accumulated while working-out. He even had his crimson locks of hair in his signature high pony tail and a tied, black Under Armour headband wrapped around his forehead to further prevent any flyaways from getting in his face.

Alice instantly smiled at the taller man, intern making a larger toothy one erupted on his semi-damp face. Renji once told her that his day hasn't started without seeing a beautiful smile from his favorite 'little sister'.

"Morning Renji!" Alice greeted him warmly. Despite the possibility of there still being threads of sweat leftover on his exposed upper torso, Alice still scampering around the granite top island to fully embrace her red headed companion around his burly waist without hesitation.

Alice may be taller than the average woman at 5'7", but Renji still towered over her. The very top of Alice's head only came to the middle of his rib cage! But that didn't stop Renji from enveloping her fragile form in his toned arms, before tilting his head downward so he could place a small kiss on Alice's crown.

"Good morning, baby girl." Renji murmured, using her given nickname, "Thanks for making breakfast."

"You know I'm always happy to." Alice informed him sweetly, before returning his earlier sentiment with a swift peck on the tip of his nose, "Are you ready for something to eat?"

"Very much so." Renji answered her, his eyes already glittering at the platter of bacon sitting only a few feet away.

Alice giggled as she pulled away from him, making her way back around the counter to finish putting the food on its serving plates and stationing them within arm's reach of the trios eating area at the kitchen island. "Would you like something else to drink or just coffee for now?" She asked next, already standing in front of the swinging refrigerator door grasping one of the handles.

"Do we have any orange juice left?" Renji asked, slapping his towel over the back rest of the fancy looking bronze barstool in the middle, before sitting in it.

Alice opened the appliance door and scanned the contents inside.

"I don't see any." She answered him, her sharp baby blues still searching, "Didn't you drink the last of it yesterday?"

"Oh yeah, that's right." Renji realized, while putting his plate together, "Milk will be fine then."

Alice poured him and her a glass of the white dairy liquid, before placing one on the counter in front of him and the second at the seat to his left. She then pivoted back around to make her way over to the two different brands of coffee machines; both were sitting next to each other underneath the overhead cabinets at the far end of the kitchen. Alice and Kikyo both had lavish tastes when it came to specialty brews; cappuccinos, frappacinos, lattes, and flavored iced coffee drinks were the top four with this girly pair. So Kikyo and Alice bought a coffee machine specifically made to whip the drinks up not long after they moved in together. But Alice didn't feel like working that hard for a cup this morning. Instead settling with an average java with a splash of French vanilla creamer and a couple spoonful's of sugar to cut through the bitterness.

"Here you are." Alice stated, carefully holding an untreated ivory mug of coffee in front of the red head as she took her left handed spot next to him, "Strong and black; just how you like it!"

Renji chuckled in return, "You know me too well Alice." He stated, taking the steaming beverage from her.

Alice merely smiled as she blew over her hot cup, before taking a well-deserved sip, _That's not true…_ She thought affectionately, _We've just been living together long enough to know each other well enough by this point._

Alice Rosewood, Renji Abarai, and Kikyo Bellflower weren't brought together under the best of situations, but if asked, they wouldn't have changed a thing if given the chance. At the age of 6, Alice's parents were killed a fatal car crash in Austin, Texas, her home state, along with her unborn baby brother. She had no other living relatives, so the young girl was set to live in a church operated orphanage. Renji and Kikyo were already there, arriving before Alice under different circumstances. But even though they were older by three years, the juvenile trio were like peas in a pod and only grew closer as time passed. Intern forming an unbreakable sibling-like bond as they literally grew up in that not-always-pleasant environment. Before to three knew it though, the system would try to break them apart. Alice would be left behind at the orphanage once Renji and Kikyo turned the legal age of 18, leaving the blonde teen alone without her siblings for the next few years until she too was old enough to leave.

Needless the say Renji and Kikyo were furious about it. They even flew into a frenzy in front of a dozen personal, including the orphanages head master. But in the end there wasn't anything they could do. Renji and Kikyo had attempted to legally adopt Alice to speed up the process, but the strict policy in Texas was that children of the system couldn't adopt other children. It was an emotional farewell for the three of them that day, but the newly come of aged adults were granted permission to visit Alice anytime. A right not given out very often and it was one Renji and Kikyo didn't take for granted. Over the next few years Alice was visited by either individual almost every day, (sometimes both at the same time) along with phone calls every evening. Renji and Kikyo stayed together during that time too, renting out a two bedroom apartment near the orphanage to stay close to Alice. The trio even made plans to move away to another state once Alice was released. How that would happen and to where remained in question, but the excitement alone was enough to look forward to. In the meantime Kikyo attended community college to work towards a degree in Interior Design, using the money she saved working while living at the orphanage and what she was awarded from scholarships. As for Renji; sitting in a classroom for hours on end and listening to long winded lectures didn't appeal to him what-so-ever. But because he was a dedicated young blood and a hard worker, it wasn't difficult for the red head to find awed jobs where he could all over Austin. Despite never receiving a proper education throughout his youth (aside from learning to read, write, and basic math like other orphans), Renji was still paid decent money. But then again you didn't take a rocket scientist to be a weekend security guard at the mall!

But before long it was Kikyo that would shock everybody. She was engaged to be married!

Byakuya Kuchiki, a well-established home design business owner originally from Japan, came to Kikyo's college one afternoon to appear as a guest speaker during one of her advanced courses. Kikyo became enamored with the man at first sight and it was like wise for the Kuchiki mogul after introducing herself following the presentation. Then following an ensuing invite to an intimate dinner for two, it didn't take long for a romantic relationship to develop between Kikyo and Byakuya. Alice was introduced to the mogul not long before the proposal. The blond instantly liked him. Byakuya was the living embodiment of the modern-day prince: polite, respectful (even to a teenager like Alice) and could clearly see that he treated her friend fairly. And it was blatantly obvious they both loved each other. Alice knew without question that Byakuya would make a wonderful husband for her beloved friend after she and Renji were told of the announcement. But even though she was happy for Kikyo, Alice had this sinking feeling deep inside that the marriage may not last long.

Alice's intuition would prove to be correct that eventful year. Because the union between the love birds was more or less a shotgun wedding: Byakuya and Kikyo had only been dating for two and a half months. Surprisingly it was the rich mogul that pushed the idea, the love sick Kikyo just went along with it, thinking that she had finally met 'the one'. But loving someone and making each other happy were two very different things; a lesson Alice's dear companion learned the hard way. So less than 6 months later, the former Kikyo Kuchiki and her now ex-husband were divorced. Thankfully, unlike most separations, it wasn't a nasty split. Byakuya and Kikyo still cared deeply for each other afterwards, they just weren't meant to be **together** in that sense.

How Alice, Renji and Kikyo ended up moving to San Francisco, California, is a whole different story. At this point it was mid-July. By then the divorce between Byakuya and Kikyo was finalized, the former couple's assets had been divided, and Kikyo finished moving back in with Renji. But it also meant that only six more months stood between Alice and her adoptive siblings being reunited permanently. However a problem still hung over them: the group needed to find a stable place to live before that happened. Kikyo had managed to graduate early from Interior Design school and was award A LOT of money from the separation, so that was a big help for the trio in the case of buying a house. However finding a good job in the Texas design world was hard to come by. But it wasn't like Kikyo, Renji and Alice wanted to stay in Austin anyway. The trio were kind of stuck during those months, however a golden goose of an opportunity would be placed in front of them by none other than Byakuya Kuchiki. _Senbonzakura Design_ would be expanding its empire to California, because at that time redesigning turn of the century homes were becoming a hot trend in that state. Specifically in well-populated cities such as San Francisco. Even though he and Kikyo were no longer married, Byakuya still saw great potential in his ex-wife's blooming talent in interior design and felt she would make a tremendous asset in his work force within the new Cali headquarters. Kikyo accepted the offer immediately and was even more delighted when Alice and Renji were both graciously invited to go to California with her! It was a joyous celebration for the trio (even more so then Alice being relinquished from Texas custody); as San Francisco would be the start of a whole new chapter in their lives.

6 years have passed since that day, but the heartwarming effects still lingered inside Alice each day she walks through the halls of the trios three story, brick and vintage wood framed home, with an adjacent two-car garage and a small storage shed in the equally small backyard. Renji, Alice, and Kikyo unanimously picked it out together among a pile of 15 other options. Byakuya had scouted all houses up for sale in the San Francisco area prior to their arrival to the city. Kikyo had asked him to, so they could get a home faster and she knew it wouldn't be hard for her ex-husband, because of the moguls' extensive connections in the retail market. The house plus the two extra buildings were in a disrepair (as nobody had actually lived on the property in almost two decades) and it wasn't mansion sized like most of San Francisco was known for. But it was offered at a reasonable price and was plenty big enough to comfortingly house three with a few extra rooms for a gym, library, home office for Kikyo, and a personal creative writing room for Alice. Exactly what they hoped to someday have. Plus it was in a nice part of the touristy city and with Byakuya's help with the renovations (plus Kikyo's assistance with decorating and furnishing), she, Alice and Renji were able to move-in within a month and a half. The trio have lived in the same house ever since.

Returning to the present kitchen setting, Alice and Renji have spent the last several minutes eating their breakfast and drinking their beverages in comfortable silence. It was a good thing experience told the blonde to make plenty of food in preparation for her 'older brothers' ravenous appetite, because Renji was already half way through his second serving before she could even finish her first!

"Make sure there's enough left for Kikyo, Renji." Alice gently reminded him, as he forked a rather large slice of peeled apple into his mouth.

Renji huffed a snicker in response.

"This is all I'm having Alice, don't worry." He stated pleasantly after he swallowed. Then his smile turned into a frown when his eyes glanced at the stairs behind the pair, "But I am beginning to wonder if one of us needs to go up and fetch Sleeping Beauty."

"That may be best…" Alice wondered out loud. On one of the opposite, exposed brick walls was a rather large decretive caste iron clock: showing half past 7 to the baby blue eyed girl. If she, Renji and Kikyo were going out they would have to leave at least before 9; because by then popular local areas will start filling with morning foot traffic and when that happens public transportation will be overrun. "Maybe I should-"

"Don't bother I'm already awake." A different female's voice grumbled unexpectedly, causing both Renji and Alice to snap their heads around so fast Kikyo would have laughed at the response if her head wasn't still drowsy.

"Well if it isn't Ms. Bellflower gracing us with her presents!" Renji exclaimed. His comically wide grin matching his dramatic, overly loud voice, "I was beginning to think I would have to kick your lazy ass out of bed again!"

If Alice was the angel of the two women, Kikyo would be considered the sexy, Latino siren. She had long, wavy midnight black hair that went down to her natural waist with long bangs that almost completely covered the right side of her face, giving her that much more of an alluring appeal. She also had an olive skin tone and her deep set eyes were a striking hazel-green. Another major difference from Alice was her chest size: Kikyo was a higher C cup whereas her younger sister was an average B. So Kikyo won Alice up in the chest department and had more of a defined cleavage, only adding to her physical appeal. Plus Kikyo wasn't shy about flaunting her shapely body around either! Much to the dismay of Alice and her boyfriend Renji when they went on the occasional night out. But Kikyo's confidence and prowess were two of the many qualities Alice admired most about her, one that the young blond hopes to someday obtain.

Her personal tenacity mirrors in Kikyo's clothing and sleepwear choices. At which time she had on no robe or shoes of any kind, however either she wasn't aware or cared that the Latino woman's snug, lilac lace cami PJ's left little to the imagination. And because of her equally long legs it looked amazing on her; even if it was a little too revealing for this early in the morning. But Alice and Renji were too used to it by now for it to bother them anymore.

"Ah shut it pineapple head!" Kikyo griped, using a picked-up nickname of the red heads from their younger days as she made her way over to the sitting pair. Her no nonsense tone reminding Alice of her firm, business like resolve when working in the office, "Don't forget _my _ass kicking is just as potent as yours!"

Renji merely grinned evilly back, clearly amused than anything else.

"Good morning sis-sis!" Alice greeted in the same sweet tone as earlier along with a matching expression, only this time using her older sisters' childhood name.

"Good morning, angel!" Kikyo greeted with a quick hug, her voice turning light and casual in a millisecond when she addressed the younger blonde, "There anything left for me?"

"There is." Alice answered, knowing the woman was referring to the remaining breakfast options, "But you may have to warm some of it up. It might be cold."

"Nah, I don't mind. It was my fault for taking too long to get down here anyways."

A moment later Kikyo placed herself in the only available bar stool, before grasping the nearby wicker basket of biscuits. Thereby placing Renji in the middle of his two favorite women.

"It's a good thing I didn't make eggs today, they would be completely inedible by now." Alice pointed out, before finishing off her last bite of bacon.

"Like I said don't worry about it Alice." Kikyo repeated to the girl in reassurance while looking over at the blonde from beneath her boyfriends pointed chin, all the while busying herself with shuffling together her own plate with the cooled food, "It's just nice eating something right after I wake up for a change. Most times I grab a bagel or a muffin from the break room at _Senbonzakura_, but nothing beats the taste of homemade food."

"I know what you mean." Renji agreed, his lips pressed against the rim of his half empty milk glass, "Sometimes I don't eat breakfast at all before going to job sites. My boss is such a dick when it comes to rules and punctuality. Seriously one of these days I'm to say something that's going to get me fired!"

"Well if you're not happy there Renji, maybe you should look for work somewhere else?" Alice suggested, ignoring the foul language choice. Yet another thing about her siblings she's gotten used to.

The said male closed his eyes and hummed under his breath for half a second, "Maybe…" Renji brawled.

"Why are we even talking about work?" Kikyo proclaimed, cutting through the morning chit-chat, "Seriously it's the _**weekend**_ now! We should be thinking about doing something fun not bitch and moan about our bosses!"

That quickly lifted the somber atmosphere, bringing with it an excited expression to everyone's face, plus a twinkling to the youngest member's eyes. Saturdays were Alice's favorite days because during the work week she and her housemates didn't interact very much. Not by their own choosing to say the least. Fairy regularly Renji, Kikyo, and Alice each had to work double shifts or stay incredibly late at the office, restaurant, or jobsite on short notice: particularly Kikyo because of her reliable work ethic. Needless to say their individual schedules were demanding and it was actually Renji who proposed going out and doing something fun every Saturday, Sunday, or both as a way to unwind and relax together.

"So where you thinking of going for today sis-sis?" Alice asked, her brightened baby blues never losing their luster.

That question made Kikyo blink in realization.

"You know I haven't thought about it until now!" She clarified, sounded surprised about it herself, "Byakuyas' been running me ragged with new projects and bids all week, so I haven't had any time to!"

Then an idea came to Renji and Alice's minds at the exact same time.

"What about Chinatown?" They said in enthusiasm driven sync.

"That's perfect!" Kikyo squealed, clapping her hands together for emphasis, "It feels like we haven't been there in ages!"

"I really want to find a kimono for evening lounge wear." Alice stated shyly, playing with the ties of her robe, "I've been looking at some silk ones online, but their all kind of pricey and I thought maybe Mr. Wang would have some in his shop. Plus it would give us an excuse to go visit him."

"And I need to stop by _Silver Dragonfly _and find a new pair of glasses." Renji added, referring to his favorite family owned frames shop, the only location in San Francisco being in Chinatown, "My shades got broken on accident when they slipping off my head and some idiot stepped on 'em while I was moving some lumber."

"Again!? This is the third pair in four weeks!" Kikyo verbally rebuked, Alice could see her slapping her own forehead with her palm, "Seriously honey, stop taking those things with you if there's a chance their going to get damaged. You're gonna to end up broke at this rate if you keep replacing glasses!"

Renji had perfect 20/20 vision, so he didn't wear glasses or sunglasses out of necessity. He didn't have very many hobbies and wearing fun, non-prescription eye wear while he was out was one of the few the red head enjoyed immensely. The problem was Renji had a bad habit of wrecking his prized possessions shortly after purchasing them, most commonly is when he carelessly brings a pair along with him to sites he was working at. The two girl's thought he'd learn by now: especially since the glasses Renji was drawn to the most weren't cheap. But boys will be boys.

"I know, I know." Renji said absentmindedly with a neutral expression on his face, before downing the last mouthful of milk left in his glass like an experienced drinker. It was apparent this reaction was a normal occurrence with Kikyo.

Alice gave the taller man a cute wink when he peered at her out the corner of his eye, after she lightly tugged on his pants leg to get his attention. Kikyo didn't see the exchange since she had wordlessly dropped the subject to finish her breakfast, instead of pushing the monetary issue like she normally did. When it came to paychecks in this group it was obviously Kikyo that made the most on an hourly bases; but she was the worst when it came to handling her own personal savings. The elder sister wasn't what was called a 'big spender', although Kikyo had no quarrels with dropping a good amount of cash when she was out shopping with her siblings or covering the bill at lunch with her coworkers. So Alice and Renji bought their own stuff with their own money as often as they could so Kikyo could keep hers for another day. When compared individually, neither Renji nor Alice were wealthy by any standers. But the blue eyed blond consistently made good tips working the breakfast and lunch rushes at the café, plus most of the red heads extra cash comes from overtime. So their pocketbooks could handle pitching in where they were able.

After everyone was done Kikyo and Renji offered to clean the dishes since Alice cooked, a perfect arrangement in the young woman's mind. Minutes later all the dishes, platters, silverware, and pans were washed and sitting upright in the wide sinks drying rake. Their house had a dishwasher but the only times they actually used it was during the week, when time to do the most minimal of chores was virtually nonexistent.

"8:00… we actually made good time for once." Renji commented, glancing at the same decretive time piece on the wall, "That'll give you girls a good hour to get changed and ready to head out."

"Not so fast slick." Kikyo almost snapped, stepped right in front of her taller boyfriend like a drill sergeant before poking him in his exposed six-pack, "In case you haven't noticed Renji you're not exactly primed for a public appearance, plus you smell like a men's locker room! Before Alice and I take you _anywhere_, you need to take a long shower and change into some _real_street clothes."

"Oh come on kitten!" Her red headed boyfriend complained, using his affectionate nickname for his girlfriend, "I don't smell that bad!"

To prove his point, Renji lifted his right arm to sniff at his arm pit. But that plan backfired badly for him: Alice had to bite her tongue to keep the rising laughter bottled up from watching her older brother's face curl back in disgust from the stench of his own perspiration. To say it was priceless would be the understatement of the year.

Kikyo however didn't even bother trying to hide the triumphant smirk stretching the corners of her lips.

"See? I told you." She sneered sassily.

It only took Renji a couple moments to regain his composer and give him an idea. Kikyo actually leered at him suspiciously, before taking a single, cautious step back when she saw a devious glint appear in her boyfriend's brown eyes.

"You think so, huh?" The red head brawled, a familiar wolfish grin appearing on his face as he maneuvered slowly after her, "How about you come on over and get a good whiff to make sure?"

Kikyo immediately squealed in outrange when the male made his move and successfully grabbed her, bringing the two of them down onto the wooden floor in seconds. The elder sister was thereby lost in a pile of flailing limbs, long hair and flashes of fabric as the two of them rolled and wrestled against each other. One trying to get away, while the other worked hard to keep her pinned against his chest. Kikyo continued in vain to wriggle herself out of Renji's hold, all the while screaming at him to get off. But giggling wholeheartedly despite of herself at the same time.

Alice observed the whole thing with amusement, until finally she started giggling hysterically. The delightful sound prompted Renji to make eye contact with her when it reached his ears.

"Oh, you think this is funny?" He asked in mock seriousness. The blond woman wasn't given time to answer, because Renji suddenly seized her arm and pulled her downward to join the couple on the floor.

Unlike Kikyo though, Alice didn't make much of an effort to fight back. In fact once the blond joined in on the human heap, Renji finally stilled after a couple extra rolls, bringing a moment of peace to the movements and sounds. Then without warning Renji plopped himself onto his back, his nose pointed towards the ceiling with Alice gently clutched to his right side and Kikyo in his left. All three were sharing a heartfelt laugh at the hilarious activity they just partook in.

"Renji… you're hilarious!" Alice managed to wheeze out, in between giggling fits.

"No… He's just a jerk!" Kikyo said, attempting to make it sound resentful as she slapped the top of her boyfriend's chest out of spite. But her glee filled demeanor prevented it from sounding even remotely angry.

After a minute or two the laughter fueled air of the living area began to cool gradually, but the affectionate smiles never left the trios faces as the gentlemanly brother helped Kikyo and Alice rise to their feet's again.

"I guess we all need to shower now." Renji noted, earning him yet another deserved smack in the arm by the Latino woman as the trio made their way to the staircase.

When Alice returned to her bedroom on the second floor and closed the door behind her, she immediately stripped, leaving her house shoes by the bed to wear later, then depositing her robe and PJ's into the cloths hamper before hopping into the shower for a quick rinse. The speckled tiled shower in her master bath was easily spacious enough to fit four other people; not to mention the Jacuzzi sized above ground whirlpool tub sitting a few feet away. But even with a moderately simple sink, toilet, and cabinets (below and underneath the boxy silver faucet), Alice was still able to fit in a pale pink, six drawer wicker vanity with a matching backless stool as a designated place to fix up her hair and do her make-up. The elongated oval mirror even had small, built in LED lights if Alice was in need of a spotlight for close-ups.

After scrubbing her creamy skin clean with her favorite body wash tell she smelled like a batch of freshly picked peaches, Alice rinsed the soapy suds off, turned off the hot water and stepped out of the shower to dry herself with a fluffy white towel.

_I love feeling so clean when I get out of a hot bath. _Alice thought with a smile, cuddling the towel against her chest for a second before wrapping it around her body.

The young blonde then exited the temperate bathroom, Alice's carpet slightly tickling her bare feet as she make her way over to her walk-in closet. Alice's closet didn't come close to the dimensions to that of a Hollywood star, but it was big in its own right. Stuffed to the brim with all manner of tops, bottoms, dresses, undergarments and footwear in all shades and styles under the rainbow. When it came to the baby blue eyed blonde's style: it consisted of lots of fun, bright colors with a dash of flirtation and whimsy, in regards to both casual and professional outfits. But at the same time Alice was also very conservative; she didn't like showing a lot of skin or even owned very many tight fitting clothing. Classy and tasteful were two words Renji has often used to describe Alice's attire choices, whereas Kikyo sees them as a bit too reserved for a 24-year-old. Nevertheless Alice has always been happy with her wardrobe.

The said women scanned through the two tier racks of tops for several seconds, then smiling when her eyes landed on a pink and light green, plaid button up shirt with rolled up sleeves. Alice then pulled the shirt off the hanger before going over to her hallow out wall cubbies of pants. There were five in total: one for shorts, capris, regular jeans, skinny jeans, and dress pants. This time Alice was more interested in capris for today's trip to Chinatown. It may have been early spring outside, but it wasn't shorts weather just yet. She picked up a simple pair of blue jean petal pushers with wide stitching's and embroidered sand dollars on the back pockets. Finally for the shoes: _Flats would be more suitable for a long walk today… _Alice decided, going through her long racks of shoes while ignoring the heels on the shelf above her. Then she saw them, "Yes! These pink dockside shoes with the white laces matches my outfit perfectly!" She picked up the never-before-worn shoes and placed them on top of the growing pile of cloths in her arms. All Alice needed now was a bra and panties. After grabbing out a tan set from one of the drawers (where her other undergarments like pantyhose's and undershirts were stored) next to the backmost wall, the blond woman left the walk in closet and went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Before doing so she also grabbed a pair of gold stud earrings and a chucky gold bangle from her ornately designed, wood jewelry case with hand painted red roses along the side, sitting to the left of the closet door.

After dressing into her handpicked outfit, Alice immediately sat down at the vanity to spend the next 20 minutes doing her hair and makeup. By this time her middle-of the-back length hair was only halfway air dried. But once Alice ran it through with a brush several times it was like it came bouncing back to its platinum, soft-curly goodness again, even her eyebrow length bangs seemed to glisten with a golden tint in the florescent glare of the bathroom. Alice kept her hair style simple and cute: pinning the top layer of her locks back with a thin pink ribbon. As for her makeup, that stayed within the straightforward theme too. A light amount of pastel pink blush went between the foundation and powder, clear shimmering eye shadow, black mascara, a small amount of eye liner for definition and Burt's Bees spring splendor lip gloss for a pop of color. As a final touch Alice spritzed on some Georgia Peach body mist on her chest and wrists; it was her favorite scent from Bath and Body works.

Once her look was completed and the bathroom was cleaned up from the shower earlier, Alice stepped lightly a crossed the bedchamber to fetch her beige cross body purse hanging off the lounge chair in the corner of the room by the window. Inside it was a wallet, her IPhone 6s, a bottle of lotion, an extra set of house keys, a small notebook, pen, and now her lip gloss and powder in case she a touch-up was needed while they were out.

"I bet Kikyo and Renji are about ready too." Alice stated out loud when she stepped out into the hallway, but stopped in her tracks the instance she caught loud male and female voices leaking from upstairs. The words were just too muffed to understand what they were saying.

_Oh no… It sounds like their fighting again…_

Instead of waiting downstairs on the first floor, Alice decided to go upstairs and investigate. As she calmly walked through the third-floor corridor and neared Kikyo and Renji's shared bedroom, she started to hear clearer pieces of what was being said from the other side of the closed door:

"Damn it Renji, what's wrong with it?"

"Kikyo listen I'm not saying that I don't like your outfit; you'd look gorgeous in a fucking trash bag for Pete's sake! But maybe you could try toning it down a little from time to time. I mean, the main reason we're going to be in Chinatown is to do some shopping, not dancing in one of the bars!"

If Kikyo was going to say anymore, it was cut off when Alice knocked on the door.

"Is everything ok in there?" The young blond asked, the tranquilly in her tone unknowingly cut through the tension inside the room, "I could hear you guys arguing from my room downstairs."

At first it was pin-drop silent on the other side, until Renji sighed disgruntly without meaning to. But it wasn't direction at the younger female sibling standing outside the door. Alice heard heavy footsteps making their way closer, before the identical colored entrance was pulled in fully inward by the red head.

"Hey Alice. Where we taking too long?" Renji asked the younger women casually, trying to keep the conversation cool. Although his tight demeanor betrayed his agitation from the previous argument.

Alice saw this, but didn't respond to her brother. Instead she looked passed him to settle on the second individual occupying the equally large room. Since Renji wasn't trying to block her line of vision in anyway, Alice could clearly see Kikyo standing not far behind her boyfriend, towards the back most corner where her own walk-in closet was located. When she did, Alice immediately understood what the disagreement was about. Currently the older sister had on a burgundy self-tie halter crop top that left her toned midsection exposed with a black mini skirt and matching belt that _**barely**_ covered the length of her hip bones, and black thong sandals. The said sibling had her hazel-green eyes downcast and her stiff arms at her sides in a frustrated pose; partly from the fact that Alice had overheard the two of them talking.

The baby blue eyed blond simply blinked a couple times in response to her sister's fashion choice.

"Are you sure you want to wear that today sis-sis?" Alice asked, maneuvering passed Renji to take two dainty steps into the slightly messy bedroom, "I saw on the weather channel last night that there's a slight wind chill later this afternoon."

The blond then shifted from Kikyo and shuffled into the open closet without another word, leaving her stunned siblings to watch as she fingered through the clothing options. Her cross body bag swinging lightly at her side all the while. Then seemingly seconds later, Alice all but materialized back out with a different outfit in hand. It was still on the sexy side like Kikyo seemed to be going for; but this one piece was far more appropriate to wear in broad daylight and covered more bodily skin then what the Latino woman had on. But Alice would never say that to her face.

"Why don't you wear this instead Kikyo? It will be much warmer then what you have on." Alice stated, holding up a sleeveless butterscotch yellow, ankle length jumpsuit with tassel details and spaghetti straps, "You can pull this shade off _**way **_better than I can; any kind of yellow always makes my pale skin look washed out."

Kikyo contemplated the situation before eyeing the jumpsuit in Alice's hands. The hazel-green eyed women had bought the outfit a couple years ago off a sales rack out of pure impulse, but never picked it up again after hanging it up in her closet. In fact the group could clearly see the bright red sales tags still attached to it! After a moment Kikyo finally came over to extract the jumpsuit from her smiling sister gently.

"You really think this will look good for day?" She asked, fingering the soft linen fabric with interest.

"Yeah, I do." Alice responded immediately, "And if you wear some brown chunky heels, I'm sure it will look even better!"

As the image was gradually painted into Kikyo's mind, the more she began to like the idea and it showed on her face. As he watched the exchange between the women, Renji slowly relaxed until a soft smile came to his lips at the same time his girlfriends did.

"Hey Alice." The red head started, getting the said blonds attention, "Let's leave Kikyo to finish up while we wait downstairs, k?"

"Shows good." Alice agreed, nodding at the suggestion. She then gave the older sister one last parting smile, before Renji closed the bedroom door soundly behind the two of them when she walked out.

Minutes later Alice found herself standing alone with Renji by the front door, almost loitering until the Latino women came back down. He had already complemented the young blonde on her own appearance and thanked her for the assistance when dealing with Kikyo, which she returned amiably. It's not the first time Alice has had to step in when Renji and Kikyo verbally argued and it's not something she enjoys doing. For now however, Renji and her stood in peaceful silence. At this point it was a few minutes passed 9 from what the blue eyed women saw, but it wasn't like it was the end of the world. As Alice's thoughts were on other matters at that moment.

"Alice."

The said young women looked up when her name was gently uttered and saw Renji looking over at her with an apologetic expression on his face, something he made more of around her then anyone else.

For their day out Renji had on a snug, grape purple t-shirt (that showed off the muscles of his upper body in superb fashion), a dark olive green puffer vest with a zipper, dark olive green cargo pants, and black sneakers. He also had on black leather wraps on each wrist with simple silver buckles and a folded purple bandana around his forehead. Alice thought that the dark, seemly girly shade looked amazing next to Renji's natural hair color.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all that up there…" The red head went on in a quiet voice, scratching the back of his head, underneath the elastic hold his crimson high ponytail in place, "I know you don't like hearing Kikyo and I fighting… much less intervene."

Alice looked down at her feet wistfully, while stroking a long stray lock that had slipped over her right shoulder.

"It's ok Renji." Alice told him, managing to keep the sadness out of her voice as she did so, "Its normal for couples to argue about stuff. You guys are no different. In fact the ones who don't fight aren't really a couple at all."

"But still, I know it bothers you baby girl. You mean just as much to me as Kikyo does and that means your feelings do too."

The young blond looked up into Renji's deep brown eyes and saw sincerity in them. But she knew it would be there already. Nothing he has ever done Alice question the brotherly actions Renji exhibits, but it was still sweet of him to tell her every now and then when the situation called for it. Especially with the small stuff. He was just that kind of a guy when it came to the young blond.

The said red head felt relief wash over him when a gentle smile graced the shorter women's face, "Thank you Renji. I do appreciate the sentiment." Alice said softly.

The elder brother proceeded to grasp her shoulders lightly, bring her closer to take her in his arms, her delicate head once again resting in the middle of his chest comfortably. But unlike the hug from earlier, Renji kept her closer for longer than necessary and Alice didn't make any indication that she was going to pull away. Like the baby blue eyed women was wordlessly stating that she need this just as much.

"You and Kikyo are the best thing to ever happen to me Alice." Renji whispered, his lips brushing against the top of her head, "I hope you can see that."

Alice then proceeded to encircle the taller man by the waist with her slender arms, "I do… every day." She whispered, smiling with a childlike innocents into his brawny chest.

Just then two sharp coughs brought the two out of their moment, prompting them to look to spy a butterscotch, jumpsuit clad Kikyo standing a few feet away. Her shiny black hair was gathered up in a sleek bun and for her accessories, large gold hoops adorning her ears, a thick gold chain bracelet was on her left wrist, and a simple gold pinky ring were on each hand. Kikyo even had a small handheld, tawny color leather Coach purse, looped over her right wrist by the thin strap. Neither of them even heard her come downstairs, even with the thick wood, brown leather cube heeled sandals she had on. And they were normally very noisy!

A sly, knowing smirk was on the Latino woman's red painted lips and both hands were already resting atop her cocked hips.

"I'm I interrupting something?" Kikyo teased, her grin growing evermore with each word, "I hope you're not cheating on me with my younger sister, Renji."

That made both Alice and Renji smile and laugh effortlessly at the joke before letting each other go, but it was Alice who said, "Don't be silly, sis-sis!"

Kikyo was fully aware that Renji cared just as deeply for the young blonde as she did, maybe even more so, and that it had _**nothing**_ to do with romantic feelings. He loved _her_ through and through. But that didn't stop Kikyo from playing with them from time to time; especially after catching them at the perfect moment while Alice was being cuddled so cutely against her boyfriend.

"You know… to be perfectly honest… if I ever did find out that you two were going out behind my back, it really won't bother me." Kikyo continued nonchalantly with a small shrug as she stepped closer, sounding completely truthful about it too.

That thought defiantly got a raise out of Alice, even had her blushing through her makeup a little bit.

"D-Don't joke around with stuff like that Kikyo!" The blond mildly scolded, but it really sounded like she was pouting on the inside, "You make me sound like I'm a boyfriend stealer or something!"

A bellow from somewhere deep inside a muscular chest broke through from the implied boyfriend in the room.

"Oh Alice!" He chuckled gently, his larger left hand enclosing around the length of her back, to be placed comfortingly on her furthest shoulder, "If you and I sharing a hug would constitute a sweet girl like you being labeled a boyfriend stealer, then everyone's' lost their damn minds!"

"Yeah angel, I know you wouldn't do something like that to me. I'm just messing with you!" Kikyo playfully explained further, only her normal voice had returned.

Alice breathed a small sigh of reprieve then; almost upset with herself that she would believe Kikyo was being serious that time.

"So you ready to head out kitten?" Renji asked his girlfriend up front. Kikyo may have looked ready, but that didn't mean she actually was.

"Yep!" The Latino women peppy responded. Her rouged mouth, colored with her favorite retro matte M.A.C lipstick in Ruby Woo, popping the 'p', "Let's get this fun day started!"

As Alice was bouncing out the door on the balls of her feet in a giddy manner, Kikyo was already standing at her taller boyfriend's side to his left with her arms affectionately interwoven over his thinker one. This action earning her a smooch on the lips from Renji as the two walked out of the house behind their younger sister. The red head proceeded to the door behind the trio when they were all outside.

San Francisco is statistically considered the second densely populated city in the United States, only covering an area of approximately 46.89 square miles. Because of that not many people actually _**lived **_within city limits let alone have a car; Renji, Kikyo and Alice were a part of the few private citizens that actually did. The rest were either business owners, law enforcement, or where sightseers currently staying in one of the numerous, 10+ floor hotel buildings occupying the main part of San Francisco. But even though much of the city was surrounded by water (much like the island of Manhattan) San Francisco is still the center of a much bigger Cali hub, intern attracting many outside visitors or travelers. True the traffic and higher living cost that comes with living here can be a strain, but the payoffs where worth it in the trios mind. Plus the city has been good to them, far better than the life they could have had if they stayed in Austin.

Speaking of the traffic, it was particularly bad on the weekends. Surviving one day of clogged, bumper-to-bumper San Francisco streets would be enough to teach anyone that. But the tradeoff of taking public transportation was actually enjoyable in Alice's mind; so long as you used them at certain 'slow' times throughout the day when it wasn't as packed out. By the time Renji, Kikyo and the said blonde walked four blocks to get to the nearest open aired trolley station (whose route always takes passengers passed the gates of Chinatown), the terminal already had a large crowd. But it was nothing compared to the workday rush-hour standards. Still the three stayed close together as they waited for the next trolley to pull up. When it did minutes later and came to full, lightly screeching stop, the trio let a handful of other passengers (including mothers, smaller children and elderly individuals) board first before stepping on it themselves.

"So are you looking for anything specific in Chinatown sis-sis?" Alice asked her older sister, as the three took their seats at the rear end of the trolley. It was only place available where they could sit side-by-side together. Alice was in the middle with Renji on the left and Kikyo on the right of her. Renji was too busy looking through a glasses catalog he got from one of the magazine stands in the terminal, so he wasn't going to be talking much until they arrived.

"Not really…" Kikyo admitted from her sitting position, her right foot tapping at the polished floorboards of the trolley as she thought, "One of my co-workers Rangiku convicted me to go on a lunch hour shopping spree with her last Monday. Well… it was more like she _dragged _me out to the nearby boutiques when things around the office slowed for a bit, saying I needed to 'take a much needed load off'. But I got lots of neat stuff and we found this really cool brunch place you guys have to try out, so I can't really complain about it."

"I was wondering where all those bags in the back of your closet came from." Alice murmured, as the trolley began moving, "Now Rangiku… she's the lady with the long strawberry blond hair with a beauty mark under her bottom lip right?"

"Yep, that's her!" Kikyo confirmed, almost grinning when Alice didn't also mention her co-workers asteroid sized boobs. The said busty women has stated they were her best features and have single handedly helped close more deals in one year then Kikyo has in her entire Designer career. But her younger sister was obviously just trying to be nice, "Obnoxiously lazy and a bit of an airhead, but Hell, you gonna to love her. Plus she's my go-to gal if I need a drinking buddy."

"And how's Yoruichi?" Alice asked again, the thought of the older purple haired woman making her smile, "You haven't said anything about her the past few days."

Aside from Yoruichi, Alice hasn't actually met other _Senbonzakura _designers in person. Which was unnecessary since the blonde didn't work with them. But Kikyo has told her enough about the physical and personality traits of the co-workers she works with the most, that Alice had a pretty good idea of what they were like in her mind, one of which being Rangiku.

Alice meeting Yoruichi Shihōin on the other hand was almost an order in Kikyo's case, seeing as she's one of the top interior designers in the state as well as the most efficient project scouter _Senbonzakura _has ever had. So the hazel-green eyed women couldn't very well say no. When Kikyo first started working her for ex-husband, Yoruichi liked Kikyo's credentials right away and was quick in scooping her up to be her design partner. Because in the stylish world of _Senbonzakura_, a project scout always works with one designer of their choice and Yoruichi didn't want to work with anyone else from the new crop of but Kikyo Bellflower. Kikyo would come to find out later it was because Yoruichi liked her personality and charm; it wasn't faux in nature and Yoruichi could tell that Kikyo actually tried to connect with clients. Unlike most other green nosed recruits Byakuya had notoriously hired before.

Alice decided that Yoruichi and Kikyo were very much like, when the two were officially introduced at an extravagant holiday get together hosted at _Senbonzakura _a couple years ago_. _Even thoughthe baby blue eyed blonde estimated that the senior member of the corporations staff was roughly a decade or so older than Kikyo. 'Lady' Shihōin, as she was affectionately dubbed by the Latino sibling, was quite the memorable, witty women from that first meeting. Milk chocolate colored skin and long purple dyed, waist-length hair with chin-length bangs framing the sides of her face was in an up do style at the party, but Kikyo stated that it is normally kept in a ponytail of some kind while working. But the reason that first meeting was so memorable for Alice was because of Yoruichi's appearance then, because coupled with the long flowing black dress and her natural yellow-ish tinted eyes, it gave the purple hair an eerie resemblance to a black cat that one would see prowling the streets during Halloween. But because of Yoruichi's charming demeanor it didn't come off as creepy. Alice still thought that Yoruichi was beautiful though and told her such, which actually prompted the older women to blush wholeheartedly from the complement. Which Kikyo (shockingly) confessed later on that it was the first time she'd seen her partner do so.

Kikyo smiled to herself when she remembered Yoruichi whispering in her ear "**I like her already**" In response to her sister's admiration of her overall look, before the three of them had pleasant conversations off-and-on throughout the rest of the event. However there wasn't any doubt in Kikyo's mind that Yoruichi wouldn't.

"She's doing great actually. Speaking of Yoruichi….!" The Latino sibling announced, snapping her fingers excitedly during the drawl, "I'd been forgetting to tell you that Yoruichi asked me to invite you to the dinner she's hosting at her house tomorrow night. It's in celebration of the successful last quarter we've had, so other co-workers will be present as well. But I suspect she specifically extended the invitation to you because Yoruichi wanted to see you again. She asks about you all the time! Not to mention everybody else in the design department!"

"I would love to go, it sounds like it could be fun!" Alice answered with smile, "We can even make it a girl's day and spend all tomorrow afternoon doing each ours hair and makeup before we go!"

"On second thought, let's make it better!" Kikyo gleefully shot back, "Why don't we call in an appointment at _Feather Flares_ and see if Yumichika and his crew can doll us up instead?"

"That's pretty last minute Kikyo, I'd hate to trouble them. Sundays are usually busiest days for _Feather Flares_." Alice commented, mildly worried.

"Uh hello, have you forgotten how much Yumi loves us? I'm sure he can squeeze us in somehow, after all he's done it before."

Alice smiled at the reminder; that indeed has happened before. Just then the bells of the trolley chimed, getting all passengers onboard their attention.

"Wow that was a quick ride." Renji commented as he closed his eye wear magazine for the first time, "I can already see the gates of Chinatown from here."

"Time flies when you're having fun honey." Kikyo cooed, winked over at her boyfriend.

After the trolley stopped and the trio stepped out, they were greeted by the Asian inspired architectural gateway with an overhead hanging sign that said 'welcome' in Chinese. It was stated to the largest Chinatown in North America and it showed from the entrance alone, but it had a welcoming feel to it. Even the nearby Chinese style lion statues seemed to be urging the three visitors to pass through and enjoy the culturally rich venue. And they did so without pause when their feet hit the sidewalk. As the trio walked down the bustling street Renji, Alice and Kikyo once again marveled at all the eclectic array of items that were offered for sale, from clothing, to shoes, kitchenware, furniture, and everything in between. Multicolored paper parasols, plus equally vibrant yard turbines of all styles and sizes were proudly displayed outside shops, both for catching the sun and the attention of visitors passing by. Not to mention the plethora of smells, wafting from the open doors of restaurants and various stands selling freshly cooked meals and foreign sweets along street corners, was tantalizing and oh so tempting to the senses.

"Do we want to walk around a little more before we head over to Mr. Wang's place?" Kikyo asked out loud, "By then it should be around lunch time then we can grab- Hey where did Alice go?"

Renji and his girlfriend immediately started whipping their heads around, trying to spot the familiar blonde head of their sister. But it was a bit tricky, since the wide street they were standing on was teeming with people moving back and forth inconsistently.

Soon however red heads sharp gaze spotted Alice located in front of one of the local businesses not far off, "There she is." He calmly exclaimed, while pointing in her direction.

It took about a minute of weaving through the rivers of people before the couple was finally able to walk up behind their sibling. And in doing so were able to clearly see what the shop was.

"Uh oh! Someone found the pet store!" Renji sang in a joking manner as he and his girlfriend came to Alice's side.

Chinatown's Pet Shop was the only exotic pet store in this area and it was a fairly good size in comparison to most on this street. It's apparently been around for a while too; if the over expanding star jasmine vines covering most of the white wash exterior was anything to go by. But it was well taken care of, the interior layout was orderly all the time, and the animals themselves were groomed weekly. Even the cages were cleaned out every night. Outside the shop were brass cages of colorful songbirds and parrots, the glass front door was also open allowing all manner of calls from cats to rodents to escape. But Alice wasn't paying attention to those further in, her baby blues were glued on the large platform with a wire 'fencing' strategically placed in the front, which was currently corralling 8, eight week old beagle puppies. Which were wide awake and fully aware of Alice's presents. All canines involved were honed in on the blonde women, clambering and squirming over the others in an effort to get to her like they didn't know a thick piece of window glass separated them. The baby beagle's overly round, black eyes glimmered with enthusiasm at the attention.

"Awwww… You guys are so cute!" Alice crooned softly to the puppies from her bent over position, wiggling her fingers in front of the window as a vague way of playing with them.

"They seem to like you Alice." Renji commented warmly over her shoulder, then started chuckling when a few beagle pups began lapping at the glass with over eager pink tongues.

"Oh Hell no! Don't either of you think about it!" Kikyo warned, her tone low as she spoke to both siblings, "You know the rules: no pets in the house."

"For crying out loud Kikyo! It's been six years already, when are you going to let us have a furry something? Besides beagles don't get very big anyway!" Renji argued, after turning his whole body around to address his girlfriend.

"Doesn't matter." Kikyo barked, "I don't care if it's the smallest mammal on the planet: NO PETS! They are too much work, too destructive no matter what species, plus I'm not going to spend a day out of my week cleaning up fur bunnies from underneath the furniture! Now let's go and get to Mr. Wangs shop before things get any crazier around here."

Kikyo made it apparent that _that_ was the end of the discussion by turning on her heel and walking on ahead, deeper into Chinatown and in the direction where their destination was. Renji shook his head and grumbled at the Latino woman's retreating form in disapproval. But he had to admit Kikyo had a valid point. During the week everyone had 12+ work hours and the only times the trio were ever really home was later in the evenings and on the weekends, leaving a pet alone in the house for hours on end. That would be an awfully lonely life and God knows what kind of trouble an animal could get into during that time, especially a rambunctious puppy.

"Sorry baby girl." Renji said to his younger sister, who had since stood up, "She's right about that though. What's the point of having a dog if you can't be there for it all the time?"

Alice was still smiling though. True she was disappointed that Kikyo reacted so negatively to the idea of a furry addition to their 'family', but she also knew it wouldn't be fair for the animal, considering all the factors involved.

"I'm not sad about it Renji. I'm still happy with what we have now, maybe one day we can have a pet of some kind when sis-sis is more comfortable with it."

Renji nodded in agreement with his own smile. He honestly couldn't what for the day.

"Come on, We better hurry up before Kikyo beats us to Mr. Wangs!" He went on, holding out his right hand to the baby blue eyed sibling.

Alice laughed lightly at the notion while her own creamy appendage rose to rest upon the larger, offered one. The moment it landed Renji encased it tenderly in his grasp, Alice immediately felt a soothing warmth inside her palm before she was thereby pulled along by the older male at a steady jog, so the two could hurry after Kikyo. When they did a few blocks later the Latino women was already standing outside the very familiar shop. _Mr. Wang's Wonderland Emporium _was neatly printed on the overhead red awning with an image of two Chinese dragons on either side of the name, window ledge flowerpots were teeming with newly planted carnations and peonies. Their vibrant pedals gleamed in the bright sunshine outside the homey looking establishment.

"There you two are! I was starting to think I was going to have to back track and hunt you down!" Kikyo exclaimed pleasantly as a slightly panting Renji and Alice approached, acting as if nothing outside the pet store had transpired mere moments ago.

But it wasn't as if her boyfriend and sister were going to say anything about it anyway. After all when it comes to Kikyo and her outbursts, it's better to forgive and forget then to dwell.

"Ah welcome back my friends, welcome!" A senior sounding, courtly voice called out from behind the shops counter when the trio filed in, "It has been too long!"

"Good morning to you too, Mr. Wang!" Alice answered politely to the elderly gentleman, "It's good to be back here again!"

Li Wang, an immigrant from Beijing, China, and the owner of _Mr. Wangs Wonderland Emporium_, was the one resident of Chinatown that Alice, Renji, and Kikyo bought from the most. True they knew him better than other Chinatown venders, but the real reason they kept coming back was because Mr. Wang made it his policy to sell good quality merchandise to his customers at fair prices and not the cheap stuff that fell apart, tore, or stopped working a few days after purchase like other touristy funded shops around San Francisco. That fundamental business mission showed from the craftsmanship and authenticity of the merchandise in _Mr. Wangs Wonderland Emporium's_ inventory, most notably in the Chinese apparel, various types of incense (mostly used for religious purposes), foreign jewelry, and other assortments of knick-knacks just to name a few.

Mr. Wang even looked and dressed like the stereotypical Chinese merchant. Today the shorter man had on a long sleeved, silk changpao in the brightest shade of red the trio had ever seen. It made Renji's hair look normal in comparison! But it was still a striking color, especially when partnered with the white silk pants, black slip on shoes, and a black silk wangjin atop his bald head. Not surprisingly, a permanent smile was still on Mr. Wangs wrinkly, clean shaven face and his dark almond shaped eyes mirrored his external glee at Alice, Renji, and Kikyo's unexpected appearance.

After his traditional greeting to the emporium was out of the way, Mr. Wang then came waltzing around the veneer counter and over to the trio, immediately hugging the two girls separately before shaking Renji's hand. Two actions he only ever made with faithful, repeat customers or to people from Chinatown he knew well.

"Glad to see you three's bond remains strong as ever." Mr. Wang commented in an upbeat way, "As the old Chinese proverb says; **a house divided against itself cannot stand.** This lesson you have mastered well."

Kikyo, Renji, and Alice were flattered by the man's words. Not many outside their circle understood how three very different adolescents could have stayed together for this long, even fewer who can see it without clarification. Mr. Wang could however; that's why he favors them so, as Renji, Kikyo, and Alice continue to remind him of the bond he had with his own three late brothers.

"Now, what is it that brings you three into Mr. Wangs shop?" Mr. Wang questioned, getting straight to the point, knowing full well these visitors usually did when they came over.

"I actually wanted to find out if you had any kimonos for sale?" Alice asked hopefully.

"Mr. Wang _always _has those little blossom! Sailed all the way from China. Right this way…"

As the happy blonde was following closely behind the elderly shop owner to one of the racks where the clothing was hung near the back, Renji and Kikyo sauntered individually around the large store. Before long Renji found himself perusing the jewelry and Kikyo migrated over to the front window where a various array of trimmed Bonsai trees were displayed.

"Here is the kimonos that Mr. Wang knows are in your size." The gentlemen proclaimed, motioning to the long, single line of the hanging silk garments, "All are hand sown and just delivered yesterday. Plus I have them on special: two for the price of one!"

Alice was in awe by the amount of kimonos that were available alone. There had to be at least 30 colorful pattered garments' to choose from; all floor length, drooping fabric along the sleeves, and even had loose obi's that tied around the wearer's waist!

After getting over the initial shock, Alice's eyes immediately landed on one that she liked the most. It was purple-ish blue in color with large pink cherry blossoms around the entire skirt, plus delicate petals falling everywhere else, the obi was also light pink to match the foreign grown flowers. It took a few minutes longer to find another, but with Mr. Wang's appreciated help Alice finally decided on a second kimono option to take advantage of the special. This burgundy pick was a bit more ornate then the blondes' previous choice, but it was no less elegant in design. The scene atop the burgundy backdrop was of a Chinese garden, but in the forefront was a white crane underneath a cloudy sky, its long spindly legs were submerged in a pond with a fish dangling in its long beak. Many different colored were used to correspond to the realistic scenery, but the obi itself was plain white, seemingly so it could match the crane alone.

"I'm so excited Mr. Wang." Alice told the man happily, while the pair returned to the front of the store, "I'm been wanting a kimono for ages now!"

"Mr. Wang is happy he could help." The man responded with a bright smile.

While Alice was placing her purchases at the register to pay for, she noticed her brother Renji still in the middle of the jewelry aisle a few feet away. The red head was holding a long cord necklace, but his attention appeared to be more on the pendent, slowly rubbing the surface of it with his thumb. Letting curiously lead the way, Alice softly made her way over. As she approached, the blond noticed the polished silver pendent was pretty eye catching in both creativity and size, easily fitting in the palm of her brother's hand. The pendent itself was in the shape of a snake skull and in its fangs was a smooth plated medallion, depicting the Chinese image of a powerful baboon-type creature with a long snake-like tail. Ironically the creature seemed to have tribal tattoos along its shoulder blades and torso.

"Whatcha looking at Renji?" The baby blue eyed women asked as she came over.

"Ah, I see Mr. Abarai has found the necklace of Zabimaru." Mr. Wang observed from his spot behind the counter.

"Zabimaru?" Alice and Renji parroted name in an unhurried tone. With each syllable the name tasted more unusual on their tongues.

"Yes." Mr. Wang continued, "Unlike the common monkey which represents cleverness or youth in China, Zabimaru is baboon which is seen as a symbol of strength and untamed power. According to legend, Zabimaru was born from the soul of a warrior slain in battle, its white snake tail was its given curse of the opposing soldiers' malice for the enemy. This spirit appeared only in the dreams of dying men who committed despicable crimes in their lifetimes, reminding them of what they have done before they pass from this world. There are not many stories of this spirit being told anymore, but the most widely spoken one is about Zabimaru wanting to steal the moon right out of the night's sky. However it is unable to do so because the moon hangs over a large lake just out of reach, with each try Zabimaru falls in and must swim back to shore. To this day all it can do is howl and gnash its fangs at the moon, in hopes that it will one day succeed."

Alice breathed a sigh in amazement; it was a marvelously enchanting story. To her ears at least.

"You should buy that Renji." Alice implored her brother gently, "Zabimaru's story sounds a little bit like yours, plus even your tattoos matches."

Renji took a closer look at the image of the creature in question, "Yeah they do, now that you mention it."

After a couple moments of starting down at the intricately crafted necklace, Renji felt like he and Zabimaru were connected somehow. True it may have sounded a little crazy. Renji didn't even know who his parents were, let alone his ethnic origins. But that didn't stop the said red head from finally smiling widely.

"I'll take it!" The red head exclaimed, looking in the shop owner's direction.

"Excellent!" Mr. Wang responded enthusiastically. Not to do with the fact that he had another sale from the day, but because Mr. Wang secretly wanted Renji to have it.

"What are you getting?" Kikyo's voice rang as she made her way over from a bookshelf, which was further from where her siblings were standing.

"I decided to buy this Zabimaru necklace." Renji answered, holding out the object in his hand to the Latino women could see it better, "It has a pretty cool story behind it too."

"Wow! The craftsmanship of that thing is neat!" Kikyo marveled when she was at her boyfriend's side, her hazel-green eyes studying the pendent intently, "Very edgy and you can defiantly get a primitive vibe from the image, but that just showcases its originality."

"Did you find something too Kikyo? I was about to ask Mr. Wang to total my stuff up." Alice informed her sister.

"Nah." Kikyo responded with a shake of her head, her hoop earrings clapping against both side of her jaw lightly at the motion, "There's always some good stuff here, but nothing I feel like I _need_ to have. I'm glad you two found something though."

Once Renji and Alice's items were paid in full and properly wrapped for transport, the trio gave their gratitude to the elderly shop owner for another enjoyable visit before heading out the front door. Renji, Alice, and Kikyo then began scouting a place to grab a bite to eat; as their stomachs simultaneously started growling the instant they were outside _Mr. Wang's Wonderland Emporium_. It was kind of embarrassing. Thankfully a noodle bar a few doors down was open and practically calling their names.

"What are you writing down this time baby girl? A new poem idea?" Renji asked the young blonde, who was sitting next to him at the checkered picnic table to his left.

Kikyo was sitting a crossed from them still slurping away at the large bowl of roman noddle she ordered, and atop the table was a diminished pile of egg rolls and a plate of fried rice that was split between the three of them. Their paper bags from Mr. Wangs were underneath the bench seats.

Alice was currently a junior at San Francisco State University, studying for a Bachelors in Creative Writing with a minors in English and American Literature. She only enrolled at the school after the trio moved to California, so the blue eyed women was a little behind academically. Seeing as she couldn't take more than 12 hours a semester because of her waitressing position. But Alice was a fast learner and managed her time between homework, going to the campus, work-work, and private life well. In addition she has been told many times by professors of the natural talent for basic writing she possessed. Whether that'd be poetry or short stories. Not to mention the extensive knowledge for English grammar. It could have also helped that Alice's brain was practically a walking dictionary and spellcheck rolled into one; both Renji and Kikyo have come to her many times when they need help defining something or simply proofread a document they needed to full out for work. It wasn't like they couldn't, Renji and Kikyo just wanted a second opinion and knew Alice was smarter in that department.

"Uh huh." Alice uttered, sounding almost absentminded as her pen continued to dance over the crisp white page.

That was something she was notorious for doing when concentrating so hard or just being focused; in fact the young blonde didn't even glance up from scribbling into the burlap lined notebook at her brother's question. Alice had always carried a pen and purse sized notebook around with her, starting when she was younger and living at the orphanage. Mostly for instances like this one when the blonde gets a sudden burst of inspiration and that happened practically every day at randomfor the trios lovable bookworm.

"Sorry… I had to jot that down before I forgot it." Alice apologized a minute later with a caring smile, when she looked over at the red head still gazing at her.

Kikyo on the other hand gave a casual giggle at the unnecessary apology. One can always expect Alice to say 'sorry' for the most minor for things.

"So… don't leave us in suspense. What were you in such a hurry to put on paper this time angel?" The hazel-green eyed women went on to ask, before forking another mouthful of noddles onto her tongue.

"Well… I didn't actually _write_ anything just now." Alice admitted sheepishly, while twisting her pen between the thumb and forefinger of her right hand, "What I was mostly doing was writing down notes and plot ideas for a literature piece of some kind. After Mr. Wang told Renji and me about the tale of Zabimaru, it kind of got the plot bunnies in my head going. It's still kind of a raw idea through. At this point I don't even know if I'll be able to do anything with it."

Renji merely grinned; Alice was so cute when she said stuff like that. It's a wonder this girl has stayed single for so many years. But it isn't like she didn't have admirers wherever they went.

As a matter of fact since they arrived to Chinatown earlier, Kikyo and Alice have both caught the attention of a number of guys. Most of the instances has happened during lunch. Several strapping fellows had openly gawked when they nonchalantly passed by the trios table from both directions, then blushing darkly when they got a good look at either Alice's or Kikyo's faces. Even the poor man, with a thin mustache and sunglasses, who took their order in the noddle shack couldn't help but stutter from obvious nervousness when he talked to the two women! On the one hand, Kikyo was well aware of the captivated gazes being sent her way, this was a daily occurrence for her (out on the street and at the office when working with clientele). But it was something the Latino women didn't pay much mind too. Renji's spot as her man wasn't going to be vacant anytime soon. As for Alice, it could be described as a case of childlike ignorance on her part. True she's been in _one_ relationship in her while life and many types of men have come up to talk to her when Kikyo dragged Renji and their youngest sibling out to one of San Francisco's night spots, but it's never really sank into the baby blues head as to _**why**_ that kept happening.

_I guess Alice really doesn't know how beautiful she actually is… _Renji thought, silently observing Alice and Kikyo's exchange of tomorrow's dinner plans with his girlfriend's design partner.

Apparently Kikyo had called that hair dresser Yumichika Ayasegawa, the hair stylist that owns _Feather Flares _hair and makeover salon, while they were at Mr. Wang's and managed to book a hasty double appointment for the both of them early tomorrow afternoon.

_It's unfortunate… I hope she'll have the courage to open up her heart to another someday… only this time… I'm going to insure this one will accept her for all that she is… even if I have to take drastic measures…_

"Renji, are you listening to me?!"

The said red haired man blinked out of his deep mental process when Kikyo's impatient tone got through to him. "Sorry kitten…" Renji said, his voice soft with apology, "My mind went somewhere else for a second."

"Anyway… Do you remember that business venture I pitched the other night to you, the one about a host club that caters to women?" Kikyo inquired to her man, when the red head nodded she continued instantly, "What would you say I told you I still want to go that route and I plan on launching it sometime this summer?"

Renji felt like his feet were ripped out from under him.

"W-Wait what!?" The boyfriend sputtered, if he had been drinking his Coke-a-Cola he would have spit it everywhere, "Kikyo I didn't think you were _**that **_serious in opening a place that employs an entire male harem! We don't know anything about owning a business, let alone have the money saved up and on top of that, getting a concept that new off the ground in San Francisco requires a lot endless hours. And last I checked you're still working for Byakuya, the ex-husband that practically gave your dream job to you on a silver platter? You'd have to quit that full-time position and devote all your energy to opening this new place, why would you throw a great thing like that away for something that could go bust?"

"I'm not 'throwing it away' Renji." Kikyo told her boyfriend calmly, making air quotes around the borrowed phrase, "I know this is a bit out of the blue and I wasn't intentionally trying to do that to you honey, but think about it for a second. There isn't anything even _remotely_ like this within San Francisco and clubs, bars and strip joins are hardly a substitute! Plus, when it boils down to it, they're mainly about appealing to the male population and not focused solely on the women side. That's the missing niche in the market where we can make a killing!"

"Um, it's not going to be one of… _**those **_places is it?" Alice asked warily, trying to use the right word without offending her older sister. At the same time her baby blue eyes stretched wider from modification at the very notion.

Alice's pale skin looked even paler in that moment: was it humanly possible to faint in mere seconds from an overactive imagination? She was about to become the first case on record.

Unbeknownst to the blonde, Renji was physically seething at her side. He was starting to think the same thing his younger sister was and the idea didn't sit well with the temperamental red head at all. Kikyo has proposed some crazy stuff before, but as of now, she has officially won the award for being the biggest dumbass after what came out of her mouth! And what's worse: Alice (the most virtuous person on the face of the planet) would be around those people on a nightly bases! Kikyo could handle herself just fine, he knew that. But Renji would be dead in hole and buried six feet under before he allowed his baby girl to be put in a position like that!

Unexpectedly Kikyo threw her head back and laughed loudly at Alice's vague implication, like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. Bellowing out of her like it was coming from deep inside the Latino women's stomach. That response astonished the two table occupants sitting in front of her.

"No angel, I promise it's not going to be a whorehouse. I would never in good conscious put you in an environment that would make you uncomfortable." Kikyo told the anxious sibling with sincerity in her voice, "No sex is the biggest, unbreakable rule of the establishment that has to be followed when the host club opens. Along with the professional behavior each host must demonstrate, despite it being romantic in nature between the temporary couples for the evening. Nothing beyond hugs or tender kisses can happen. If one of the employee's does this, they are immediately terminated and the client caught with the man in question will be barred from returning. That should keep repeat incidents from occurring in the future."

Renji and Alice let out a long, unified breath of alleviation. If only that got cleared up right from the start. Kikyo was liable to give somebody a heart attack one of these days.

"But why the sudden push sis-sis?" Alice then piped up, after giving her racing pulse time to subside, "I mean… you've only had this idea in your head since, what did you say, February? And it's only the start of April! What's all the rush? Are there any downsizing going on at work we should now about?"

"Oh! No no no no! Nothing like that!" Kikyo answered quickly. Then her hazel-green gaze turned wishful, not really looking directly at her siblings now but that shops of Chinatown surrounding them, "It's just that places like this remind me of what I really want; to be my own boss with my own hours, and be able to work with two of the greatest people in my life."

"You mean-?" Her boyfriend started in wonder.

"Yeah, I have some ulterior motives to this idea of mine." Kikyo cut through, in an honest tone, "It's kind of selfish on my part, but I'm fed up with watching us busting our asses in dead-end jobs that were not happy in. When we should be supporting one another like we always have, just underneath the same roof. Renji… I want you to be my business partner when I open the host club and Alice you can be the part-time server. As a start, the club will only be open four days on weekends, starting later in afternoon and closing near 2 am. So we'll be able to keep our day jobs if we want and Alice will still be able to go to school, just on certain days. Then when it gains in attendance, we can extend our hours of operation along with the staff. We'll work out the details and have a better plan in place later, but I wanted to guys to know the truth. I love working at _Senbonzakura Design, _don't get me wrong, but I feel like it's high time we all tried something new and exciting together… Don't you think?"

At that last question, the Latino woman's hazel-green orbs settled back down, coming to rest on the two staring back at her from across the picnic table with soft, astonished expressions on their faces. All previous anger or confusion in regards to the older sister and her idea had fleeted from their minds. Alice and Renji didn't know what to say at first. Kikyo had no difficulty speaking her mind, unfortunately she wasn't as good as explaining her emotional problems. Most likely stemming from day-to-day struggles while living at the orphanage. But after moving to California, Kikyo's gotten better with it, especially when talking it out with Renji or Alice if she had a particularly frustrating day at work.

But this was the first time Renji and Alice have heard Kikyo reveal something so personal, it was defiantly a change in her normally sheltered character.

After a moment of letting it sink in, Alice and Renji turned towards each other, holding a number of questions in their eyes. It was like the two were having a conversation in their minds, no words were said during that short times span and to them it was like the humming visitors and Chinatown itself melted away. _This feels so daunting and sudden… can we really do this? Is this ok with you? Kikyo seems very adamant about this, maybe…? Do we really need this kind of change? _Those were just a few of the questions that swam through their minds. There was uncertainly mixed in too; lots of things could go wrong since they were inexperienced in the business field. Soon that heightened state of mind between the boyfriend and younger sister came to an end when a conclusion was reached. Renji and Alice smiled warmly at each other before turning their attention back to the sibling observingly them silently, patently waiting for their response. This was a life changing decision they were discussing after all. Kikyo wouldn't blame them if her tablemates balked at the idea.

However, not even an ounce of that expectation was seen on the faces in front of her.

"Let's do it." Alice said confidently.

Renji merely nodded, but the determination in his brown eyes clearly mirrored the blonde words.

The overly zealous, face splitting smile Kikyo made was infectious and heart melting at the same time. "Thank you guys so much!" She went on emotionally, "You don't have any idea how much your blessing means to me! The host club is sure to be a success if we all put in the same amount of effort I just know it!"

"We're still going to talk more about it… just between you and me though kitten." Renji interjected, his gaze turning serious in a nanosecond, "There's some ground rules that need to be set before this business plan goes any further."

"You're not getting jealous already are you, honey?" Kikyo smirked. She enjoyed watching Renji get riled up in any situation, especially when it involves other guys hitting on her. It only made her red head boyfriend become 10 times hotter in her mind.

"NO!"

"Liar."

"I am not!

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Then why are you blushing so brightly?"

"I'm not blushing, I'm just hot!"

"Ok, now you're just stating the obvious, dipshit."

Alice giggled at the continuing banter going on between the couple; never the less she inwardly agreed with Renji that certain priorities had to be put in place. While a host club for women was a great idea from a business standpoint, the possibility of Kikyo getting a little out of control in such an enticing setting was very high. Particularly if there was the temptation of many (and presumably good-looking) men around. Thankfully, with Renji and Alice always on alert for such things, those instances have been few and far between. Kikyo's never done anything that's come close in jeopardizing her relationship with Renji: she's not that shallow or heartless, or stupid for that matter. But it never hurts to be prepared for any possibility.

After the mild argument was put to rest and an agreement made to go into further detail about the plans for the host club when they returned home later, Renji, Kikyo, and Alice proceeded to visit Chinatown's _Silver Dragonfly_. By this time it was mid-afternoon and this central section of Chinatown where the eye wear store was located was busier than ever. Amazingly only a handful of other shoppers were in _Silver Dragonfly _when the trio arrived, but one couldn't really tell. It may have helped that the shore was very spacious to accommodate the massive displays of glasses available for purchase, so you weren't elbow-to-elbow with strangers all the time. The eyewear sections were separated for recreational and prescription uses. The _Silver Dragonfly's_ inventory of frames was extensive too: ranging from the stylish and modern to the just plain outlandish.

"What do you think of these Renji?" Alice asked cheekily to her brother from down the aisle. She was wearing a very flashy pair of hot pink sunglasses, the frames were in the shape of hearts and had faux-crystals along the sides that made it even more eye popping.

The said red head just laughed at her, "Very you. But way too girly for me!"

"Hey what about these Aviators?" Kikyo exclaimed when she appeared at her boyfriend's side, holding out a simple wire, black framed ones with tined lenses, "These would look _so _good on you!"

"You think so, huh?"

Now it was Renji's turn to get cheeky. Only this time brought on by a subjective undertone.

The red headed male took the avian inspired eyewear from the Latino women and tried them on, before studying his reflection in the mirror. Aviators weren't a style of glasses he would normally be drawn to, however time-and-time again his girlfriend continues to surprise him with her knack for sophistication, and this time it had nothing to do with decorating a room!

"Huh… not bad…" Renji murmured in approval to himself, while turning his chin at different angles so he could see in the mirror.

"Oooooooo… I like those Renji!" Alice complimented when he saw the glasses on his face, "They kind make you look like a private detective."

"You think so?" Renji asked, even though he wasn't expecting an answer. He gazed it his reflection a second longer before slipping off the Aviators, "Yep, I defiantly need to buy these!"

"Then you'll need to buy two more!" Kikyo announced, "They have a special on Aviators this weekend: buy two get the third free!"

"Could you pick them out for me kitten? Knowing me I'll probably grab the first two I see and they'll probably look weird on me." Renji requested politely.

"Sure honey." Kikyo cooed, placing a tender kiss on her boyfriend's waiting lips before maneuvering her way back over to the Aviators stand located on the other side of the store.

Renji watched her walk away with adoration pooling in his brown eyes and a soft smile on his mildly smooth lips. He will be the first to say that he never been one of those lovey-dovey affectionate types when it comes to their partner, but he's never missed a moment to openly express his feelings for Kikyo and it didn't go unnoticed by anyone within _Silver Dragonfly_. Especially to a certain blonde-haired sibling observing silently close by.

When the said girlfriend was out of earshot, Renji felt a soft tapping on his shoulder. He immediately looked downward at his right side, straight into Alice's sweet expression. Her sentimental baby blues seemed to shine through the harshness of the stores florescent, overhead lights.

"When are you going to asked Kikyo to marry you Renji?" The younger sister asked, her tone gentle and caring despite the straightforwardness of the question.

On cue, Renji's expression relaxed, though it didn't come off as a somber one. Just a little sad.

"I've brought it up a few times in the past, but…" Renji initiated, but didn't go any further. Instead shook his head a few times.

That prompted Alice's face to match her brothers. Kikyo and Alice didn't know until a lot later that, though he loved both of his sisters very much, Renji had always had this 'spark' when around Kikyo when they were kids. Only seeming to grow in intensity as they became adults. But it was only when Kikyo became engaged to Byakuya, that Renji realized what he lost. He still supported her marriage however; choosing her own happiness instead of his own. But his love for Kikyo never extinguished. Then when Kikyo's divorce was final and they had settled back into living together again, Renji waited for the right time and confessed his feelings for the hazel-green eyed women that unintentionally stole his heart many years ago.

"It's not you Renji. You've done everything a good boyfriend is supposed to." Alice assured the taller male, rubbing the length of his right arm soothingly, "I guess she's just afraid to take that next step. Remember when you admitted your feelings for her back in Texas? It took about a whole year of convincing and patients of your part, for Kikyo to finally give in and agree to go out with you. So it's only natural for the same thing to happen at this point in your relationship."

"Yeah… I've about forgotten that happened…" Renji murmured loud, scratching his head in thought, "I've thrown so many things from Texas out of my mind, that I tend to wonder if we were ever there in the first place or if it was all just a bad dream."

Alice didn't openly responded to that. As there was no reason to. Unlike her older siblings, she would always have ties to Austin, whether she acknowledges it or not. It was the baby blue eyed women's childhood home after all and the memories of her beloved mother, father, and unborn brother were always playing in the back of her mind. But when it comes to whether or not she would ever go back and visit their graves… that was a journey Alice may never take.

"But your right about Kikyo…" Renji continued, sharply switching subjects as fast as the mention of Texas came out, "She may seem fearless on the outside, but Kikyo is more insecure about relationships that she lets on. I still see a future will her though, even if I'm not standing beside her as her spouse."

That promise filled confession brought a smile to Alice's face; that level of commitment could work on Kikyo again one day. But a diamond ring will be that necessary physical proof when that time comes.

"Speaking of future goals… how are your feelings about Kikyo's host club idea? Still ok with it?" Alice gently prodded, "I wanted to know while Kikyo wasn't around."

"Hmmm… I'm still a little weird about the idea to be honest…" Renji admitted with a lightly severe facial expression, his thick arms crisscrossing over his hard chest, "That's mostly because we haven't properly discussed everything yet. But my biggest concern right now about the whole thing is what kind of pressure the new business is going to put on all of us, especially between Kikyo and I."

"If that's what you're the most scared of Renji, then you should bring it up when you speak to Kikyo privately. It's always a good idea to address certain topics your concerned of before moving forward in any situation." Alice advised. She wasn't a relationship expert by any stretch, but Alice has proven time-and-time again that intellect also comes in the form of intuition and not simply brains alone.

Renji smiled broadly at his sister, "That's good thinking baby girl. I'll do that after we go over details of the host club as a group." He chirped happily.

"I'm kind of on the fence about the host club idea too, however let's keep an opened mind about it." Alice stated positively, her right hand coming to rest over her heart, "There's risk involved in anything life changing and who knows, we may be on board with it by this time tomorrow."

The older red head's gaze softened to one an affectionate older brother would make, a stare he has made many times in Alice's presents and it hasn't lagged in potency after all these years.

"I love how you're so confident about everything baby girl. No matter what the odds, you're always smiling and your voice is always so upbeat and carefree… I wish I could be you sometimes Alice." Renji murmured softy.

Alice innocently blinked twice in response, then gave the taller man a cute smile, "Silly Renji…" She said, "If you became like me, it would be all thinking and no action. And besides, who would be there to protect me and Kikyo?"

Then without another word, Alice stepped closer to give Renji his third hug for today. She wasn't invited to do so, but it wasn't like the red head was complaining about it, as his arms encircled the shorter women's back as if by automatic.

"I love you baby girl…" Renji whispered, his warm breath tickling the blondes scalp, "Never forget that."

Alice intern tightened her grip on the back of Renji's purpled t-shirt, while smiling tenderly into the toned muscles of his chest, "I love you too big brother." She responded in the same hushed voice.

Those words warmed his heart better than a cup of San Francisco's best hot chocolate ever could. _Two special women I can hold and provide for… For as long as they'll have me… I really am the luckiest guy on Earth…_ Renji thought with pride.

**A/N****: PHEW! That was the LONGEST chapter I have **_**EVER**_** written!** **But goodness I loved how it turned out; I've been working on it off and on (during short homework breaks and on weekends) for weeks! This is my first attempt at writing consistent cursing, in Fanfiction anyway, and I hope they weren't too strong for anyone. I they were, I apologies. Also future chapter lengths aren't going to be as long as this one was, a few may come close but I don't see it happening as of right now. **

**And on that note, hope everyone likes the direction this is going, but like I said the story won't actually start taking shape until chapter three. So I'll try and get to that point as soon as I can. Until next update everyone! **


	2. Weekend Plans For The Future Part 2 of 2

**A/N****: Here is the awaited second segment for this stories opening. Without meaning to, I made it longer then part 1. But there are lots of familiar/memorable characters from the anime in this, so I hope you guys appreciate that. And just so you're aware, more of the finer points for the host club will be showcased in this chapter before things really start revving up in chapter 3. That's when "What a Woman's Heart Really Needs" starts for real. I'm really excited about it, can't you tell? Anyways, on with the show! **

**Disclaimer****: I don't own anything associated with Bleach; including its characters, the Anime, or the Manga. I only own my main character and this inspired plot. **

After Kikyo finished picking out the three best Aviator glasses for her boyfriend from_ Silver Dragonfly's_ available options, the red head was quicker on the draw when pulling out his leather billfold and throwing the right amount of cash to the young female cashier. Renji had anticipated the Latino women's intentions of buying his glasses when she showed the first pair off to him. He wouldn't allow her to go through with it however. Despite Kikyo claiming she was doing so as a 'gift', it was really just an excuse to spend some more green when their baby blue eyed sibling suspected that Kikyo has spent quite a bit already. If the five large bags still sitting in the back of the Kikyo's closest from her and Rangiku's day out was anything to go by.

The hazel-green eyed women still hasn't learned that money doesn't grow on trees.

When they finally left _Silver Dragonfly, _the trio aimlessly moseyed around Chinatown for a couple more hours; perusing more unique shops and sampling other local cuisines in between sightseeing before calling it a day when their IPhone screen's declared 5:30 pm. On the way home, Alice wanted to make a quick stop at the grocery store, to pick up a few extra items she noticed they were low on or just didn't have that morning. One item being on the list was a carton of orange juice. She felt a little bad Renji didn't get any at breakfast. That time her siblings let Kikyo pay for everything after she kept nagging about it all through the checkout line.

They walked through the front door of their home no long afterwards, with each trio members hands full with something. Of which included the day's loot from Chinatown, three brown paper bags chopped full of produce, and now individual to-go orders from Whataburger for dinner. After all, Alice didn't cook anything other than breakfast choices and they were too exhausted from hiking the slops of San Francisco all day to come up with anything healthier. Plus nobody in this house could deny Whataburger's patty melts, hot sandwiches, and (obviously) burgers. The restaurant has been a much beloved dine-in/takeout joint since the day Alice, Renji, and Kikyo moved to California.

The following morning was pretty much the same: Renji awoke at the crack of dawn to workout with Alice trailing behind him a couple hours later. Surprisingly Kikyo rolled out of bed about thirty minutes after Alice did to join her boyfriend at the kitchen counter, to mingle and chat as the young blonde was whisking ingredients together for scratch-made, buttermilk pancakes. Regardless of what was originally planned, the trio didn't get to talk about the host club as a unit after returning from Chinatown the night before. That was because they only realized how exhausted they actually were when each member of this mitch-match family plopped down onto the various seats in the living room to eat their fast-food meals. Plus Kikyo wanted to finish putting away her cloths from her shopping trip earlier in the week before going to bed. So collectively they decided to go over it Sunday, after they got some much needed rest from their extensive activities.

"The host club's concept will be on the intimate side; meaning it's not going to be a place where people can just walk-in off the street like the conventional club. Ladies will need a reservation prior to arrival, if not they will be rescheduled or turned away completely depending on the circumstance. The amount of reservations for the evening will equal the amount of hosts already on staff. Clients will be questioned extensively about personal preferences and hobbies when they call, in order to be paired with a manly host they'll have the most in common with. That way the ladies are insured to have satisfactory, 'date night' conversations all evening long."

The trio were sitting in a semi-circle in front of the living room's exposed brick fireplace once again, only this time they were still in their PJ's (or in the red headed males case, workout gear) with warm, triple staked plates of pancakes sitting atop their laps. Also sitting nearby on the glass table (located in middle of the 'circle') were glasses of milk and tall cups of various caffeinated drinks. Alice and Kikyo were each having an iced caramel macchiato this morning while Renji had is steamy conventional one. The hot cakes themselves ranged in diverse toppings between the siblings and drizzled with sugary-sweet maple syrup. Renji requested sliced bananas for his, Kikyo wanted blueberries, and Alice settled for a small helping of good old fashioned chocolate chips. They were eating their breakfasts kind of slow through, partly to savor it, but Renji and Alice also wanted to pay attention to how the new business was going to work from Kikyo who has done all the talking up until now.

"Since this is a women's catering host club, most of the clientele will be older and undoubtingly be married. So hiring at least one bouncer to deter altercations from jealous husbands, boyfriends and even the occasional feuding clients may be a good idea. Hopefully fights _won't _happen very often, but it's better to be safe than sorry. The host club will be an alcohol exclusive establishment too. But we'll keep the drink menu small and concise consisting of a few classic cocktail options, as well as a few house made ones. I want to hire two bartenders for when we open, because one isn't going to be enough for the amount of hosts I had in mind to start with. I may add a third later on when we extend operations, as well as a second bouncer."

"Are we going to serve any food at all?" Alice asked from the plushy white lounger chair in the corner when Kikyo took a pause, "I know this isn't supposed to be a dinning establishment, but maybe a few appetizer sized dishes or some kind of snack would be a cute thing for the couples to share together."

"She's got a point kitten." Renji piped up from the teal, faux-leather couch to the right of the blonde, "Food soaks up the alcohol from a person's system and keeps them from getting a buzz too fast. That's drinking 101."

"That's a good idea angel." Kikyo complimented from her seat in the aquamarine reading chair, a crossed room where Alice was, "But they'll have to be simple and not have any cooking time, bartenders will be busy enough preparing drinks. I don't want them to be boring either though… we may have to mull on that a little."

"And Alice, you could totally provide the desserts! We can even switch them up every other night to keep things interesting!" Renji suddenly exclaimed, the sparkle in his brown eyes seemed to be dancing at the prospect.

Ever since they were kids, he's always loved his little sister's baked goods. Particularly her red velvet cupcakes.

Alice opened up her mouth to answer, but Kikyo butted in before she could get a syllable out.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God! Renji! You are a GENIUS!" The Latino women whooped in excitement, before turning and practically begging to the said blonde women. Both with words and puppy eyes, "Alice would you? Please, please, please? You don't even have to do very many or even every night, two or three types of desserts would be enough and they don't have to be fancy either! You can do want ever you want! The choice is all yours!"

Alice smiled softy at the ground, while she felt her face turn red from bashfulness. She wasn't sure if the argument of serving her homemade desserts would be a benefit to the host club or if it was just another excuse for Renji and Kikyo to eat them.

"Uh… yeah sure. I can do it." She answered in a shy voice, poking at the half eaten pancakes on her plate with a fork. She never could tell her older siblings 'no', "Though I may need an extra set of hands with the quantity every now and then. Got to plan ahead right?"

"I'll help yea baby girl!" Renji automatically volunteered, raising his right hand into the air like he was still in elementary school, "Just say the word and I'll be at your beckoning call!"

That level of eagerness caused the two girls to giggle at the red head. Hasn't he forgotten he can't cook, let alone bake? But Alice will appreciate the help when it comes down to it.

"Oh, speaking of the host's, how many did you say you wanted to hire first sis-sis?" Alice inquired, getting the situation back on topic again.

Kikyo openly hummed in thought before answering, "Around seven, not including the two bartenders and one bouncer of course. I may add a few more later on, but I'm still on the fence about that. Everyone will have to be over the legal age of 21 to be hired."

"And how do you intend on going about finding these guys?" Her boyfriend questioned seriously, his tatted brows low as he gazed in Kikyo's direction, "Putting an ad in the paper is too sketchy. Who knows what kind of men could come through those channels and for a business like this one, we need _damn _good personal who know what the _hell_ they're doing. Plus finding someone to seek out potential employees for you could take longer than the actual hiring process!"

At Renji's smart observation, silence engulfed the entire living space. This was a legitimate business Kikyo was proposing and they didn't need a bunch of testosterone-fueled, rambunctious employees and equally libidinous women to turn it into their own personal playground or worse, cause someone to get hurt or the business to get sued for bad management. Such a concept required a certain combination of courtesy, maturity, and suave of the gentlemanly type, and those kinds of guys were hard to find, let alone on such short notice.

"Well in that case… What do _your _friends have to offer us Renji?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't act like you didn't hear me honey." Kikyo stated, that devious look growing on her face once again, "Surely you know a few good looking, well-mannered guy's that have a flirty side and weren't you the one that said those construction buddies of yours were trying to find a second job not long ago? What are their names again? Oh yeah, Ichigo and Grimmjow! This would be perfect for them, and wasn't there an Uryu too? I bet they would also know some good candidates to fill the other empty positions in their inner circles."

"Ok hold it!" Renji yelled, not loud, but it was enough to get Kikyo to stop rambling for a minute, "First of all, yes, I admit it, their amorous as hell with girls', even older attractive ones. I'm confidentIchigo and Uryuwill follow the 'no sex' clause without incident since they have the best self-control of anyone I know when faced with temptation, but Grimmjow-"

"-thinks with what's below his belt, more than what's between his ears. I know, you've told me that _**many**_ times already. But in this business, ALL kinds of guys can appeal to any number of women… even the ones who makes it their mission to drip their stick into a new girl every night." Kikyo stated nonchalantly, which about caused the youngest sibling present to choke on her bite of pancakes from that last mental picture, "We'll just put him on a shorter leash when the doors open, and if Grimmjow isn't happy about the rules he doesn't need to work for us in the first place. But if I know those boy's about as well as I think I do from what you've said about them already; I don't see Grimmjow, Ichigo, or Uryu turning down an offer as juicy as this one."

Renji wanted to argue further about the idea of bringing his friends into the business scheme; but it wasn't like the red head was blatantly trying to keep his friends out of it for personal reasons or that he didn't trust his compatriots to not act stupid. Resulting in them getting fired for screwing one of the clients for example. That would make for an awkward conversation, particularly for Renji. But in the back of his mind, the red head knew that wouldn't happen. Renji has known Ichigo, Uryu, and Grimmjow for the past few years, first meeting when the four ended up working for the same construction company. Renji, Ichigo, and Grimmjow worked the grunt assignments while Uryu had a cushier position in an A/C'ed office trailer. Although schlepping through mountains of paperwork wasn't exactly a dream job either. But regardless of all that, Renji can say they're his best friends without question. Besides Alice and Kikyo of course. They were ALL standup guys and would perform their new 'wine and dine' duties to the letter, even the mentioned blue haired acquaintance that basically oozed sex appeal. Plus it was true that they were looking for a second job and the trio were needing hosts; it was pretty much a win-win scenario for both parties involved.

However, the problem Renji was WAY more concerned with was when his sisters came into the picture.

Kikyo and Alice have heard Ichigo, Uryu, and Grimmjow's names a time or two, but have never met them in person. On the flip side, Renji's not once talked about his sisters around his construction friends, let alone that he lives in the same house with them. That being because he's never had a reason to. It was also due to the red heads observations of how the three male cohorts acted around a woman and Renji can honestly say they were each very different in that category! But regardless, once strawberry and the rest found out that Kikyo was taken, they would back off faster than if Renji snapped his fingers. He could still see Grimmjow, Ichigo, and perhaps Uryu talk vampishly towards the Latino, that was inevitable and normal in Renji's mind. But Alice… she was another story. The tatted older brother was very protective when it came to her, especially when it was in regards to his buddies, whom were all very much single and already looking for that 'special someone' to marry and settle down with. And Alice was very much available and desirable. Need he say more?

But before Renji could rebuke or state his reasoning's in regards to Alice, he stopped the instance he saw that look on Kikyo's olive toned face. The one that told him to 'shut up and deal' (and that's the censored version). Renji, with equally strong eye contact at his girlfriend, leaned back in his chair in a submission-type posture. Alice could tell from her sitting position that the older red head wasn't happy at that moment, despite having no clue that it was specifically about her. But Renji was being a smart man by letting this issue rest for now.

"Sooooo…. how much is this kind of service going to cost?"

Kikyo and Renji looked away from glaring each other, instead putting their attentions on Alice after her voice cut through. Her serene tone did a better job in desisting the staring contest happening right in front of her than a chainsaw was with cutting down timber.

"I had a number in mind…" Kikyo drew out, her voice free of tension even after the mild, visual standoff mere moments ago, "$1,500 should be a fair starting price for a service like this one, but it can go up depending on the amount of food or drinks that are consumed and every clientele that comes in must be able to pay upon entry."

At that answer, Alice almost did suffocate when her windpipe clogged up. Only this time it was from the air catching in her throat at the outrageous amount instead of the pancakes. Renji too seemed flabbergasted; his openly gawking expression taking over the severe one he had previously.

"Fi-Fifteen hundred?! That's insane!" Renji sputtered, having already dumped his half-eaten plate and silverware on the nearby coffee table. If he hadn't it would have most defiantly ended up in the floor. The glassy surface of the tabletop caused the plate and eating utensils to clatter upon landing, but miraculously not a crack occurred on anything, "Who in the hell is going to pay that much money to spend an evening with some stranger in a suit?!"

"The wealthier women."

"Huh? Ok, _**now **_you lost me."

"Yeah… I don't quite understand either." Alice admitted, fully disregarding her food for now. If Kikyo kept surprising her at this rate, it would be safer to prolong breakfast then risking the welfare of her throat.

Kikyo instantly held a finger up.

"You see it's like this. Not a day goes by that some lonely, oh-so rich woman comes into _Senbonzakura Design_ and complains to me that there is never a venue in San Diego that they can go to find companionship, not sex. Both of which their husband denies for one reason and another I might add. But I'll emphasize we're _**not**_ going to be focusing on the unsightly one. The high asking price will be a tale tell sign to potential clients that this is an upscale establishment and if we continue to get good reviews, we can attract others from outside the San Diego area. Because no established anybody in this town is going to step foot into a business that's only going to tarnish their image."

Alice and Renji both mouthed 'oh' in understanding at where Kikyo was coming from. Still, that was a small collection of people that the Latino woman was trying to attract to the host club and not everyone living in California had money. But who's to say middle class women wouldn't shell out the dough if they wanted in bad enough?

The trio continued to talk more about the new business for the next couple of hours, all the way down to the nitty-gritty stuff. Such as where Kikyo wanted the business to be location, the finer details of what the trio's responsibilities would be, the various policies for the host club, the dress code, what the various employees' side works were, food and drink menu ideas etc. By the time they came to a stopping point, the time displayed on the large, iron decretive clock was ten before noon. Kikyo and Alice decided then that they should run upstairs and get ready to head over to _Feather Flares _for their makeover appointment. Leaving Renji relaxing in the living room, flipping between the fight channel and TIY network on cable TV.

Alice already had her street clothes and dinner party outfits picked out the previous night, so all she had left to do to do was get dressed and her gown prepped for transport before heading back downstairs. The baby blue eyed blonde was pretty plain at this time, appearance-wise anyway, wearing an emerald green long sleeve shirt, knee length jean capris, and tan Tom shoes with no socks. Alice had no jewelry on (however she had a set picked out for tonight) and virtually no makeup, as Riruka (the lone makeover consultant for _Feather Flares_) was undoubtingly going to be doing that after her hair was styled. Said soft curly, platinum hair was left untouched as well, not even a bobby pin held a tangle free strand back until the sisters were at the salon. Giving Yumichika, or one of the other available stylists, a blank canvas to start with when Alice sat down at their station.

"What will you be doing this evening Renji?" Alice asked her brother, as she leaned over the back rest of the same couch he had yet to get up from, so she could peer at the red head properly. The zipped up dress cover that contained the young blondes evening wear had been draped on the back of the couch underneath her. Alice's IPhone was pushed deep inside the back pocket of her capris'.

"I was thinking of calling Ichigo and them… see if they want to meet up for drinks later. There's nothing going on here anyways and the guys and I haven't had a chance to hang out outside of work for a couple weeks." Renji responded, peaking at her from over his broad, bare shoulder, "Plus it would give me an excuse to have the three of them in the same place so I can pitch the job offer to them. But there's nothing to worry about on that score; it's going to be an easy job and they'll get paid to sweet talk women all hours of the night. Why wouldn't they accept? Hell I'd jump at the chance to do something like that!"

Alice giggled at the excited retort, "But you'd have Kikyo breathing down your neck the whole time!" She stated humorously.

Renji laughed at that as well, "Very true!" He exclaimed.

The red heads concerns of how the male employee's will interact with Alice at the host club (which has yet to be given a name) was still floating in the back of his mind like a dark, ominous cloud. But there was still a bit of time before the smaller pieces of Kikyo's dream would coming together at the host clubs opening; having been set for the middle of June if things continued to run smoothly. So Renji had at least two months to figure about a way to do introductions slowly and discreetly. The worse thing that could happen was Alice unknowingly walking in and become bombarded by a room full of male employee's while Renji wasn't around, and on top of that, before he had a chance to tell them who the pretty blonde was.

But once he had a set plan was in place with Kikyo's help, the protective older brother will prevent that from happening…. right?

"You sure you'll be ok here by yourself?" Alice asked again, this time with more earnestness then before, "I don't see Kikyo and I leaving the dinner party until passed 10 o'clock tonight."

"Don't worry about me baby girl. I'm a big boy remember? I can handle being on my own for one night." Renji stated with genuine sincerity, his already deep voice sounding like it lowered an octave. He even shifted around in his seat to where his deep brown eyes were looking straight into the woman's baby blues completely, while his robust left arm became perched on the backrest like it belonged there, "Besides I can't even remember the last time you and Kikyo had a girls night. Just have fun ok? I know you need it after the killer semester you got finished with, writing all those papers… fuck! I'd of keeled over before the halfway mark!"

Even though the prior academic term was grimace worthy, Alice still smiled at her brother's thoughtfulness. When the said semester was in full swing, the red headed brother was the lone household member that would find her in her writing room on those predawn mornings. Those long nights always ended with Alice falling dead asleep in the desk chair with her slightly mussed head resting on top of her sweater clad arms, which were strategically tucked between her cheek and her opened Apple laptop. Those discoveries for Renji were the highlight of his day; Alice looked so peaceful when she slept. That's why he felt so bad afterwards, because the older brother had to force himself to wake her. But Alice would have been late for her advanced level English classes many times over if he hadn't looked out for her in that manner.

"Well, when you put it that way… a four course dinner with sis-sis and Yoruichi would be a nice reward after all the work I put in." Alice contemplated, her soft expression unwavering.

"That's the spirit!" Renji crooned fondly as his large, mildly calloused hand rose to cup the side of Alice face. It was not in a way to display affection like a lover would, but instead it was Renji's method of displaying brotherly devotion towards Alice.

He doesn't do it when they were out in public obviously or even with Kikyo; this was something that felt right with Alice alone. And every time Renji does, Alice always responses with a content sigh and leading into the touch a little. Moments like these strengthened the caring, brother-sister relationship Alice has with the older tatted brother.

"And you have fun tonight too Renji." The young blonde gently urged, her own smaller, daintier palm touching that back of Renji's hand in a tender fashion, "You've been working really hard lately, harder than usual."

The said older brother grinned pleasantly, "I will baby girl, thank you."

"I'll even take some pictures of Kikyo and me when our makeovers are all finished, and send them to you. So you can see how we look in our dresses."

"That would be great. Kikyo wouldn't let me see hers for some reason, I guess she was worried I'd rip it or something."

"You remember what mine looks like right?"

"The lace skater dress in robin's egg blue? Yeah, I remember you having it on when showing me after you bought it. It looked good on you then too."

Alice giggle innocently in response, "I haven't worn it since then and thought this would be a good night to show it off." She explained, moments before Renji removed his hand from her cheek.

Renji merely nodded, as nothing more needed to be said.

"Whew! Sorry I kept you angel!"

Alice turned at the voice and saw Kikyo walking briskly towards the pair; wearing a navy sleeveless turtleneck top, distressed blue skinny jeans and navy pumps. Her long black hair was in a neat pony tail, but Kikyo wasn't wearing makeup or jewelry like Alice opted to. The youngest sister suspected that a good accessory and shoe selection was tucked into one of the three individual dress covers that were laying against the Latino woman's back.

"I had a hell of a time picking out a dress this morning, so I'm taking the top three and letting Yumi and his bunch help with that." Kikyo explained a bit breathlessly, since she was in such a hurry to get back downstairs.

Renji had to refrain from acting on the impulse to slap his own forehead at his girlfriend's procrastination; instead he merely rolled his eyes to be more discreet about it. He recommended last night for his girlfriend to start looking through her closet for something to wear so this didn't happen. But of course Kikyo didn't listen, and now she and Alice both were going to be lugging more shit around town then necessary.

Renji made a mental note to have a word with Kikyo about that later.

"Here let me carry one of those for you sis-sis…" Alice offered, already reaching for the top black dress clover, which was relinquished willingly by Kikyo. Then quickly grabbing the hanger hook from her own dress nearby, "You ready to go?"

"I am if you are." Kikyo said, before turning her hazel-green eyes to her boyfriend, "Love you honey, see you later tonight."

She proceeded in given the studly man a lingering, passionate kiss on the lips from where she was standing behind the couch. But nothing about the kiss was inappropriate as Kikyo was mindful of the younger sibling present. Then when the elder sister finally pulled away, Alice took her place to give her own kiss to Renji before making her way for the front door behind Kikyo. Only this one was a small smooch on the cheek.

"Be careful tonight Renji. Love you!" Alice told him, calling out that last part over her shoulder. The sound of stiff, artificial materials rubbing together from the two dress covers she carried almost drowned her out.

"Love you both! Have a good time!" The red head called back, seconds before the front door closed soundly.

When the living space was silent following the girl's departure, an affectionate expression subconsciously came to Renji's face as he shifted back around in his seat, _I wonder what I did right to deserve two beautiful girls like that… _He thought while reaching for the TV remote sitting on the coffee table.

Once the two girls left the house, they immediately made their way to the local trolley station, the exact same one they used yesterday with their brother. Thankfully there were only a handful of other potential passengers waiting for the next trolley to arrive, so the cable car wouldn't be near as crowded this time around. Which as a lucky break for Alice and Kikyo, because they would be taking up a lot more space thanks to their bulky packed evening wear. It took a bit of creative maneuvering on the girl's part to keep from smacking anyone during boarding, but the other passengers were understanding and patient while Kikyo and Alice found a seat near the middle of the trolley. It was the best spot for the sisters to be if they wanted to sit next to each other.

"I better text Yumichika and let him know we're on our way." Kikyo murmured out loud, slipping her bedazzled encrusted iPhone out of her pants pocket, "We may be a little late since Crocker Galleria is a little over half an hour from here."

Crocker Galleria, the building being in the design of an awe inspiring glass dome, was well known all around San Francisco for its high end designer shops which spanned three floors. Using a quote from Yumichika Ayasegawa himself, 'this beautiful structure was the only place worthy enough to house _Feather Flares _salon'. The only problem was that Croker Galleria was almost an hour walk away from the trio's home. But for a service and consistency as good as _Feather Flares _has been, the time traveled to get there was worth it in Alice and Kikyo's mind.

Kikyos' phone then chirped with Yumichika's response:

**Excellent! Take your time in getting here doll, there are two chairs reserved for you and angel. Can't wait to see you girls! 3**

That made Kikyo and Alice share a smile before settling in for the smooth ride. Exactly 40+ minutes later the girls arrived at another station a few blocks away from Crocker Galleria, anywhere closer to the glassy building was nothing but cars. It was a good thing the two didn't drive, because by the time Alice and Kikyo were walking through the revolving doors they would still be aimlessly cruising in their automobile somewhere looking for a parking spot.

Inside the upscale shopping center was like a whole other world. Alice had only been in Crocker Galleria a few times before, but it has yet to stop taking her breath away. The marble flooring, vaulted ceilings, concrete potted native and foreign plants, even the wooden benches stationed in key places appeared to be handmade from an exotic locale from the way they were chiseled. Kikyo and Alice didn't pass very many shoppers as they made their way to the third floor where _Feather's Flare _was. That came as no surprise; as most attendees were too busy mingling or pursuing inside the various boutiques, jewelry and fine coffee shops to be walking around in the halls.

Those they did pass however seemed to have quite the pompous attitude, because one look in the 'commoner' sister's direction made the individuals curl their noses back in repulsion and that was just the women! Kikyo sneered in defiance and infuriation with each and every one she locked eyes with, intern making the shoppers jump in surprise and back off to go about their business. Alice on the other hand was oblivious to the snooty looks or what her older sister was doing in return, as her relaxed baby blue gaze remained ahead so she was unaware the whole time. Kikyo was envious of that level of ignorance.

Before long the sisters stood in front of their destination: _Feather Flares_. Like all the stores within Crocker Galleria, the exterior and interior of _Feather Flares _was encased in white marble and its edges lined in a gold metallic inlay with intricate leaf and floral designs. But there wasn't too much detail that made everything inside look gaudy; simplistic yet sophisticated were two words Alice thought of the first time she visited _Feather Flares _and that description was all around appropriate. Especially to owner Yumichika, who's used those brilliant analogies many times since that first hair appointment.

"Ah! They're here, they're here everyone! Hurry and get your butts out here or you're going to delay the makeovers we've been waiting all day for!"

Yumichika Ayasegawa, or 'Yumi' as he often likes to be called (but only by the people he favors), has a bit of a narcissist personality and has been known to be incredibly vain by his employee's at the salon. Because he judges almost everyone and everything by beauty. Which was partly why Yumichika was drawn to Kikyo and Alice in the first place because they were so naturally stunning in his eyes. Anything below that is considered inferior. But he does have his redeeming qualities, such as being insightful to a person's moods and likes in terms of style, along with his loyal devotion to those Yumichika considers his friends. That flamboyant nature is mirrored in the man's overall appearance; shiny milky skin, bright purple eyes, and jaw-length black hair, which, in conjunction to the colorful feathers on his right eyelashes and eyebrow, gives him a somewhat feminine appearance. Yumichika's cloths on the other hand weren't feminine… exactly. Today the 5'6½ tall man was wearing an oversized lavender turtle neck sweater with a single row of round plastic buttons sewn all around the base of the collar, black skinny jeans so tight they could have been _**painted **_on and black, ankle length boots with a flat heel. Yumichika didn't were much in the way of jewelry however, as he was more partial with the 'wow!' factor clothing brought to a person's figure. But when he did, the only accessories Yumi ever really wore were pea sized, orange diamond studs and a plain silver wedding band on is left hand, signifying he has a partner in is life.

"There's that feisty Latin queen I love so much!" Yumi proceeded to announce to the whole store.

"Hi Yumi!" Kikyo greeted just as loudly, while smiling at the familiar stylist when he came waltzing- no _**prancing**_ up to the pair of women before they could even step foot into the businesses rented space.

He then proceeded to cheek-kiss the Latino woman on both sides with her doing the same. The standard greeting the observant Alice knows Yumichika gives, but what she didn't know was that the man only did it with his favorite clients. As he's done so with Alice and Kikyo every time they've come over.

"And let's not forget our little princess!" The trendy stylist continued on, actually giving the young blonde a small hug when she stepped closer, "The only one in this world who could possibly be called an angel without wings."

Alice intern smiled brightly, "You're too kind Yumichika." She informed him politely.

That was when the feather wearing man dropped his arms and took a stepped back, openly souring at the blondes' use of his full name, "How many times have I told you angel? Just call me Yumi!" He scolded, he mouth in a full on frown.

Alice caught on that Yumichika was only teasing her, but she still apologized, "Sorry Yumi, it's a habit of mine… I don't like to assume these things."

Yumichika's expression softened from the explanation made by young, baby blue eyed women. It was astonishing how polite and genuine Alice was when she came in, a stark contrast from the spoiled, self-entitled bitches that came into his salon. God, sometimes he hated the beauty industry just on that aspect alone. But when she came in, Alice was like a breath of fresh air. The lavender loving male only wished she could every day.

"No worries love." Yumichika said to the younger sister, before closing the distance between them once more so he and Alice could share a courteous cheek-kiss as well.

"HERE, HERE, HERE! WE ARE HERE~!" A higher pitched voice suddenly sang, before a large, bulky, and muscular form suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the salon. Likely coming from somewhere in the back where the employee lounge and storage spaces were. The newly arrived mans' rapidly spinning form finally came to stop in order to dutifully perform a showy, ballerina-type pose. His long, wavy jet black hair with purple highlights seemed to shimmer somewhat in the harsh, florescent lighting, "When I heard those lovely, sweet sounding voices my heart instantly fluttered. I knew right then then Alice and Kikyo had arrived to grace us with their presents."

"You can cool it with the theatricals Charlotte." Another overly confident voice said, but this one sounded more male then the others. Sounding so confident in fact, it bordered on cocky. But that was because the pink haired man knew just how good of a stylist he was as he came striding into the room elegantly, a smirk already curled upon his lips, "They don't need a tap dance number or be reminded every time they come in how beautiful they both are. Though I will say Kikyo and Alice both look as lovely as they always do." He concluded, while pushing up his extravagant, white framed glasses back up his nose by its bridge.

"AH! What did you just call my ballet skills? _**Tap dancing**_!?" Charlotte girlishly squealed in evident outrage. Alice could have sworn she saw a vein pulsing beneath the chocolate milk skin of the taller mans' forehead, "Keep up those nasty comments of yours Szayelaporro or I may start calling your pink ass cotton candy!"

"That's _Szayel_ to you blowfish." Szayelaporro retorted, his demeanor remaining surprisingly cool, despite being blatantly insulted to his face, "Keep shrieking like that or sea gulls are going to start flying in from the coastline."

"Szayel! Charlotte! Cut that bickering out right now! Don't make me bitch slap you both like I did last time!" Yumichika shouted directly at his employee's, despite two customers having a front row seat to the whole display from where they stood behind the salon owner.

The threat was enough to prompt the two stylists to physically flinch in fright at the notion of being slapped in such a vicious and humiliating way. But that didn't stop Charlotte from whining a bit more.

"But Yumichika he started it!" The purple highlighted male complained like a toddler, "You were standing there the whole time!"

Yumichika proceeded to scold the grown men like children, because in a way they were, in the feather adorned bosses mind anyway. However, from Kikyo and Alice's standpoint it was all very amusing, both girls giggling lightly from their spots at the entrance of _Feather Flares _as they watched Yumi, Charlotte and Szayel. The pair were so engrossed with the comical performance that they never noticed the fourth and last hair dresser slip into the front room and casually make his way over to them, while bypassing his oblivious coworkers.

"Why good afternoon ladies." An easy-going greeting met their ears, prompting both Alice and Kikyo to turn and see a long, wavy blonde haired man. Though Rose's reception towards the sisters was professional, his charming smile was almost overshadowed by the consistently bored expression on his face. "Forgive the others. Everyone's been a bit antsy in anticipation for your arrival."

_Feather Flares _has a growing reputation around Crocker Galleria (and all of San Francisco for that matter) for hiring the most outlandish stylists, individuals whom no other high color place will. This salon was advertised as a place where misfits (professionals and customers alike) can feel accepted for who they are; craziness and all. Yumichika, Charlotte, Szayelaporro, and Rose were four such individuals. Each were colorful and different in their own ways; so much so that they couldn't find work for much of their hair dressing careers for that very reason.

Charlotte Chuhlhourne for starters is vain and flamboyant (almost a spitting likeness to Yumichika, from a character trait perspective anyway), believing himself to be 'the most beautiful creation on this earth'. Thankfully he doesn't express that openly. This is probably why he and his boss get along so well, because they are so similar. However, Charlotte believes beauty is derived from a person's heart and personality, and not by looks alone. 'Don't judge a book by its cover', a philosophy Charlotte lives by every day, is a good attitude to have when he's being judged himself so often for his feminist style choices. He's large glossy lips, icy blue eyes, and curly long eyelashes doesn't help his case much. But Charlotte doesn't let such negative words bother him anymore. His current clothing also pushes the stereotypical drag queen aspect: a tight cobalt tube top, white jean textured jacket with large silver plated buttons along the front, white skinny jeans (which could have been as tight or tighter then Yumichika's), and strappy black 2" heeled shoes. Which made the 6'3½ tall man even taller. The exposed toed footwear showed off his red polished toenails perfectly, even the tiny crystal crown Charlotte wore in his hair was a tasteful touch to coincide with his short, crystal linear drop earrings.

Szayelaporro Granz was brought into the business not long after Charlotte was, however his taste in style was a bit more on the scholarly, intellectual side then the rest of the stylists. And it wasn't hard to see why when you got to know him a little more. Szayelaporro is a naturally meticulous and intellectual individual, which dubbed him the "scientist" of the _Feather Flare_'s team. Because he is the most creative when it comes to putting out the most 'out of the box' haircuts for his clients, which have been rewarded with national recognition. But he wasn't always this successful. Szayel has admitted that he was far more narcissistic and extremely flamboyant when he was younger, namely during his middle and high school years. So much so he called himself ruthless, cruel, and sadistic when it came to achieving his ambitions even if he had to cut corners or deceive people to get there. But it didn't take Szayel long to discover that such an attitude wasn't going to get him very far in life if it would only cause reproductions later on. So he cleaned up his act, expanded his knowledge by reading in his spare time, enrolled in the best cosmetology college in California, and was immediately rewarded with a positive outlook on the rest of his life. Szayelaporro's clothing chooses and appearance reflected on that accomplishment: shoulder-length pink hair with bangs on the right side of his forehead, with two thin lines of missing hair on the left side of his head. His eye color was a natural tone of amber, which were perfectly highlighted by white 'cat eye' shaped glasses with small crystals encased in the corners of the eye frames themselves and along the sides of both arms. Szayelaporro physic was tall and thin, making his 6'1 tall body look very sharp in his current outfit, consisting of a pearly white wool blazer, worn on top of a partially untucked, casual pink dress shirt with small white polka-dots. Szayel also wore black dress pants and black velvet loafers on his feet. Like Yumichika, Szayel didn't wear a lot of jewelry, but usually the pink haired man wore a small silver cross in his left earlobe since it was the only ear that was pierced, like he was today.

Lastly was Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi, or just Rose most of the time, since his first name is a bit difficult to pronounce for some. The sisters haven't known Rōjūrō half as well as the other three employee's, as he's only been a stylist at _Feather Flares_ for about 6 months. Kikyo thinks of him as an 'odd duck', because he more or less is as his hobbies and clothing options are on all points of the spectrum. Appearance-wise, Rose is fairly unusual but somehow none of his coworker friends thinks of him as a weirdo in anyway, narrow shaped purple eyes, blond hair (that was a bit more unruly and kinky when compared to Alice's) and a perpetually bored expression that he always seems to wear on his handsome face. Even though the happy-go-lucky smile he wears on has lips like a permanent tattoo would say otherwise. His style is the most old fashioned of anyone present; so old fashioned that Kikyo suspected that Rose had Shakespeare on speed dial when he needed fashion advice! But somehow in the end the man keeps his unusual tastes in the modern era somehow and today was no different: a black two piece suit with a thigh-length, black jacket. Underneath the jacket was a white ruffled shirt with a high folded collar and frilled cuffs that were longer than the length of the jacket sleeves, today the shirt was uncharacteristically untucked. Rose's lean, 6'1½" form was completed with his polished, black laced up shoes adorning his feet. Underneath, Rose seemed to be a foppish man with a disinterested air about him, making the male one of the more laid-back members of the _Feather Flare _crew. He's also a big fan of music, but didn't have a specific genre of artist he liked listening too. It was as if he was just a follower for music in general, as Rose is frequently found tuning his black and white, Bullet Stratocaster SSS Electric guitar during breaks rather than paying attention to conversations going on around him. Because of that Rose has grown close to Alice in particular each time she comes over for hair appointments, often discussing whatever singles that have recently come out from an artist they liked best. Ironically Rose is still hung over the late singers Prince and Michael Jackson. He also enjoys reading manga, a pastime that has become very extensive. In fact the bulk of his collection had to be moved into two storage units when the quantity took up too much space in his apartment!

"Yes I can understand that." Alice answered Rose, her smile pleasant when addressing him, "Kikyo scheduled us just yesterday in preparation for a dinner party we're attending tonight, so I can't imagine all the rescheduling you all had to do."

But before Rose could explain, Kikyo's voice was already ringing out.

"Hey Yumi!" The Latino woman half-way bellowed, which was enough for the said owner, Charlotte, and Szayel to stop whatever they were saying to each other and look at her with shocked expressions. They must have somehow forgotten the sisters were still here, thankfully Kikyo's tone didn't have an angry bite to it. But it still sounded all business, "I hate to resort to my bitch mode here, but we need to get these makeover appointments started here pretty quick. Alice and I have to be over at Yoruichi's place no later than 7 and you know I don't believe in the phrase, 'fashionably late'."

"Yes, yes, of course. Sorry about that doll." Yumi exclaimed in embarrassment, coming back over towards the sisters again, "Here let me take those dresses to the back for now, then we'll get you two prepped in a chair."

That reprieve was the prefect distraction for Charlotte and Szayel, because they immediately reverted back to their normal, docile selves in less than a minute. Both were even relaxed again when they came forward for more chit-chat conversations with their guests while Yumichika gathered up the four dresses and left to do just that, walking like he was strutting on a runway.

"By the way… where's Riruka?" Alice asked suddenly, glancing towards the back room of the salon as she assumed that's where the young girl was, "Isn't she here today?"

"Oh, rabbit stepped out to get us fresh drinks from the Tropical Smoothie Café downstairs." Charlotte clarified, referring to the young makeover consultant by her pet name, while the semi-purple haired man flicked his wrist to remove the good amount of bangs that had slipped too far in front of his face, "She left not long before you two got here. So she should be back anytime now."

Alice merely nodded and smiled softly at the answer.

"Alrighty!" Yumichika stated, clapping his hands together when he stepped back into the room once more, as a way of getting his employee's attention, "Kikyo you come on over to my station, everything is all set up. You three can play **rock, paper, scissors** or something to figure out who's going to work on Alice."

Yumi is the only person at _Feather Flares _that Kikyo trusted with her hair, especially when she wants something done right the first time. So it came to no surprise to anyone else that the lavender loving man had her before the Latino woman even arrived. Unfortunately it wasn't as straightforward in Alice's case, as Charlotte, Rose and Szayel have always fought over her, because she's been the easiest person to work with.

"I call dibs!"

"Forget it Charlotte! You got her last time!" Rose griped, crossing has arms in front of his chest as he glared at the taller man, "And what are you 5? Who calls dibs on anything anymore?"

"Exactly." Szayel agreed, his spindle-like fingers slowly readjusting his glasses, as if he was purposely making a show of it, "And if I recall correctly, the only reason you were able to get Alice into your chair so easily is because you commandeered her while to two of us weren't looking."

"It's not my fault you two dense idiots couldn't zip it and pay attention!" Charlotte pointed out smugly.

Alice just stood there wide eyed as the three continued to quarrel. The poor girl didn't have a clue as to what to do as she was unintentionally stuck in the middle, a circumstance that would have made other girls very happy. But to Alice it was all a bit confusing and overwhelming. Thankfully, Rose was quick to take note of this when he glanced at the blondes bemused expression briefly, and instantly came up with a solution that would fix all this.

"Why don't we let Alice decide this time?" The ruffle wearing man stated, his sweeping hand motioning to her form standing near the group of stylists, "After that we can take turns; starting with whomever wasn't chosen besides Charlotte the next session. Sound fair?"

Charlotte and Szayel felt like complete fools in that moment; why didn't they think of doing that before?

"Shrewd thinking Rose." Szayel genuinely praised, "That plan would be a better alternative to wasting any more energy on future spats."

Alice agreed with that plan too, smiling widely in approval when the three stylist's attentions were back on her again.

"Well angel? Would you like Rose or Szayel to style your hair today?" Charlotte asked politely, before stepping closer to whisper the next part into Alice's ear, "Though, I'd recommend Rose because Szayel may try to give you a pixie cut and dye your hair a sea foam green."

"I wouldn't dye any head or give any women a haircut they never asked for Charlotte, you know that! And besides, why would I ever ruin such a beautiful blonde head like hers with such a nauseating color?!" The pink haired man rebuked, his cheeks actually turning a light shade of red.

Alice giggled softly at the idea though, it was be interesting to see how she would look with such a new loud hair style. However, it'd be a long time coming before the young blonde would be ready to chop all of her hair off.

"Rose, could you do my hair today?" The baby blue eyed women asked, after it occurred to her that as she couldn't waste any more time, "It shouldn't take very long. All I need is a trim before you can style it up."

The said blonde stylist smiled broadly, which actually showed off his pearly white teeth, as he took the younger women's hand gently and guided her over to his station, "Just come right over here…" He instructed.

Truth be told, Szayel wasn't disappointed when Alice chose the frilly shirted man instead of him. Because this meant he would **defiantly**be her hair dresser next time. Instead Szayel and Charlotte were content with pulling up a chair from _Feather Flares_ deserted waiting area and taking a seat around Rose's station, so they could still talk with each other and Alice without having to stand the whole time. Unlike their music loving co-worker.

As soon as Alice was sitting comfortably in the white Deco Crystalli Styling Chair, Rose draped the white stylist tarp over her, which completely covered everything below the women's chin and then he fastened it snuggly behind her neck.

In _Feather Flares_, there were 8 stylist stations total, four on either side of the room. All of the current stylists work areas were on the right hand side of the salon, with Yumichika's station on the far left and Roses was two chairs down so Kikyo and Alice could still taking to each other if they wanted. Each stylist could even customize their station however they wanted, so long as they didn't damage any of the furniture or the walls. Roses' for example was like his namesake; two big vases of blooming red roses sat on either side of the illuminating mirror while stray rose petals dotted the top of the counter where style tools weren't occupying. There were even a few musical themed mementos from concerts Rose had gone to and photos stuck to the mirror from others still. Rose's guitar would be present for all the see as well, however it was too valuable to be left lying around. So Rose's prized position was kept in his locker while he was working.

"Your hair looks as healthy as ever angel. You always take such good care of it." Rose complemented, extracting a plastic comb from one of his drawers and running in through Alice's locks to get rid of any hidden tangles before cutting it.

"I've been using some of that, 'It's a 10' and 'Cantu Shea Butter' stuff you guys recommended." Alice explained, looking at Roses reflection in the square shaped Hollywood mirror in front of her so she wouldn't have to move her head, "It's really helped with rehydrating my hair and keeps split ends from appearing all the time."

"As I knew it would." Charlotte stated smugly, flipping his own jet black hair back proudly, "I use Cantu myself when the weather gets colder. It gets dried out so easily during the winter months."

Before long 20 minutes ticked by. During that time Alice kept gabbing with Charlotte, Szayel and Rose, talking about anything and everything that was happening in their immediate lives like they always did when they got together. At the same time Rose remained focused on the task at hand. After carefully detangling the baby blue eyed women's hair and throwing the plastic comb in the nearby trashcan, he picked up his trusty stylist scissors and began cutting an inch or so off Alice's hair length and bangs as requested. She has kept her hair at a consistent length ever since she was about 15, because if it got too long it became difficult and costly to manage. But later on when she feels up to it, Alice may opt for a different, shorter cut.

"Hey guys I'm back, you would not believe the line at the Tropical Smoothie Café and this one lady about pissed me off for taking for-freaking-ever putting her damn drink order in!" An irritable girl's voice announced when she came in through the front of the salon carrying two to-go trays loaded with diverse colored smoothies.

Alice didn't need a mirror to know who this was, "Riruka!" She exclaimed happily.

"Alice?!" The magenta haired girl blurted out, actually coming to a dead stop as her eyes widen in genuine shock in the blonde woman's seated direction. If the youngest _Feather Flares_ employee didn't have a death grip on the drink trays, their liquidly contents would be a sticky splattered mess all over the marble flooring.

Riruka Dokugamine was incredibly young for a makeover consultant, in fact the girl was barley in her twenties! But that didn't stop Yumichika from taking her on because the girl showed amazing talent and skill she perfected, experimenting with different brands of makeup since Riruka was a child. From appearances, Riruka is like any other healthy young women, slender built with wide magenta eyes and long hair of the same color. Her thin locks were always kept up into two neat pigtails, Riruka also has blunt cut bangs with a single long stand that hangs down the right side of her face. When it comes to the girls' style, it kind of boarders on the Gothic Lolita side, as Riruka only ever wears black and white outfits, especially dresses. However, Riruka wasn't a hard core Goth because of the small cute touches she adds on here and there, like lace or ribbon, helping give her attire a more innocent, dollhouse feel. Preventing Riruka from appearing off-putting to anyone; now was no different. The 5'1½" tall Riruka had on a furry, white-colored hat that had two long extensions in the back, mimicking that of rabbit's ears (hence the inspiration for her nickname). She also had on a midnight black, semi-tight dress that had white fabric that went halfway up her sleeves and covered the length of her chest, along with a small black bow underneath her collar. Riruka only wore earrings in regards to jewelry. Two piercings on either ear lobe and a helix piercing in her left ear; the two 'normal' piercings had black pearls in front and opal studs in the back, and in the helix was a decent sized cartoony bunny. She completes her outfit with a pair of thigh-length, black leather boots with a flat heel. The girl's personality however was a whole other story. While she was naturally confident and somewhat playful, Riruka is often impatient and hot-tempered. Unleashing her rage even towards her coworkers if they disagree with her about anything. Riruka came to _Feather Flares _looking for a job about the time Charlotte did because she didn't have any parents, but refused to go to a foster home because of her independent deposition. She is extremely talkative and likes having ongoing one-sided conversations with people about irrelevant topics. Riruka also suffers from extreme myopia, but chooses not to wear glasses out of vanity and claims contact lenses make her large eyes go dry too fast. But when at the salon it's never much of a problem, since the place is so well lit.

"Kikyo and I are going to a dinner party tonight hosted by her design partner." Alice explained to the shocked Lolita, "It was kind of last minute when the appointments were made, but I had thought you'd of known."

"Need help with those orders rabbit?" Yumi asked accommodatingly, seeming to materialize in front of the unresponsive girl.

Unfortunately for the feather clad man, he didn't receive the answer he was looking for:

"YOU JACKASS!" Riruka all but screamed at the top of her lungs, before giving Yumi a swift kick square in the derriere, "Why didn't you tell me she was coming?!"

"OW! DAMN IT RIRUKA!" Yumichika yelled back just as loudly, while rubbing his stinging backside, he still couldn't believe how strong the petite girl was, "Why are you so upset? I already told you last night Kikyo and Alice were coming over today!"

"No you didn't! I would have remembered!"

Yumi blinked at that, "Well we did get slammed with walk-in's yesterday… guess I must have forgotten… sorry about that…" He mumbled apologetically.

Riruka growled with annoyance, "Whatever! I'll deal with you later!" That was when she spitefully tossed the two drink trays at the man.

Yumichika practically sucked-in wind in horror, before mad dashing to grab the drinks. Miraculously he caught them in the nick of time and didn't need to body slam into the floor to do it! While _Feather Flares _boss saved the smoothies, Riruka had all but threw herself onto Alice, not caring that Rose was inches away with a sharp object in his hands. Luckily he's been around long enough to know Riruka's impromptu friendship with the blonde and the Lolita's over excited tendencies when Alice was around, so the hand holding the scissors had been removed seconds before Riruka's arms wrapped themselves tightly around the blonde woman's neck. Intern saving either girl from accidentally getting slashed… or himself.

"AL! I'm happy to see you! I've missed you!" Riruka squealed giddily. The Lolita girls cheek was pressed firmly against Alice's, while the latter woman's arms were holding Riruka equally close by her shoulders.

"I'm so happy to see you too Riruka, when you weren't here earlier I thought you had the day off!" Alice stated her smile beaming at her young friend.

"Are you kidding? I never have a day off anymore! Not when these broads constantly need their ugly mugs redone!"

"Did you not hear me when I said Kikyo was here too Riruka?" Yumichika stated, as he was slowly getting himself and the drinks off the floor, "Aren't you going to say hello to her too?"

"Why should I? I prefer Alice's company over hers anyway!" Riruka snapped plenty loudly, loud enough for the said Latino to hear. Then not a second later, the Lolita's tone did a 180 when she turned her attention back on her friend, "Oh and thanks so such for sending over those strawberry cake and cream donuts the other day, they were _delicious_! You've _**got **_to make them for me again sometime!"

The minute Riruka heard that Alice was a baker, she instantly glued herself to the blue eyed blonde's side… whether the woman liked it or not. Which NEVER happened because everyone at _Feather Flares _knew Riruka hated everybody! Who knew a person's sweet tooth could overcome distain. Fortunately for the magenta haired girl, Alice didn't mind it one bit. In fact she was delighted to find another person to bake for, seeing as Alice only made sweets for Renji, Kikyo, and herself. Plus it gave her an excuse to try out new recipes, like the newly acquired one for homemade strawberry cake donuts with a homemade cream icing, which Alice added on herself.

"I'm so glad you liked them!" Alice gushed, her baby blues seemed to sparkle to match the enthusiasm in her voice, "It was my first attempt at making donuts and I was worried that I didn't add enough strawberries because the recipe called for more."

"Well I thought it was the perfect amount." Riruka murmured, her mouthwatering from the memory, "And that cream you drizzled over the top… yum yum!"

Both Alice and Riruka shared a laugh as Yumichika finally came over to pass out the smoothies to everyone:

"Rose here's your Mango Magic… Charlotte's Beach Bum… Szayel's Jetty Punch… My Sunrise Sunset… Riruka did you get a Bahama Mama this time?"

"Yeah, that me." The Lolita answered, taking the drink out of the carrier without really looking at it or her boss, "I didn't feel like having a Peanut Butter Cup or Mocha Madness this time and it just sounded good."

"Then where did the three extra's come from?" Rose questioned seriously, after slurping a mouthful of his canary yellow smoothie.

True enough there were exactly three beverages still sitting on a to-go tray, surly Riruka didn't miscount?

"Oh that…" The magenta Lolita started, "After the Tropical Café people got there shit together following their slam period, the barista's behind the counter realized that somehow three smoothies that no one asked for were still sitting at the pick-up window. But they didn't want them to go to waste, so they offered to give them to me free of charge."

"Wow! They're so good I didn't think that actually happened…" Yumi murmured in surprise, before shrugging, "Oh well, then that means our guests can be treated as well! Alice would you care for one?"

Alice was about to politely decline, until she became aware how parched she had become, "What flavors are there?"

"A Blueberry Bliss, Paradise Point, and Strawberry Limeade." Riruka informed Alice, answering for Yumichika, as he wasn't the one to walk down and retrieve the order. So he wouldn't have known anyway.

"I'll have the blueberry one, I've never been a fan of limeades."

"Me neither!" The magenta girl exclaimed in agreement, while Yumi handed Alice the chilled, medium sized drink and walked back over to Kikyo to find out which she wanted from the left over options, "I can barely stand the taste of lemons either, yuck! Why do they have to be so sour?"

That was when Rose's voice piped up again, "That just about does it for your trim angel." the blonde man informed, snipping one last long piece from the tail end of Alice's hair before placing the scissor's back on the counter, "So how would you like it styled? Personally I think you should leave it down for tonight."

"That's what I wanted to do actually," Alice started, after taking a long swig of the blueberry flavored smoothie sitting on her lap, "But I couldn't think of anything without it seeming too dull."

"Hmmm… Well since your hairs long you have a wider variety of options at your disposal…" Szayel observed, watching Rose closely as his fellow stylist slowly fluffed out Alice's newly trimmed locks, "But I agree that you shouldn't get too fancy of a hair style, I see women always try to outdo one another all the time when it comes to fashion. It's exhausting just thinking about it!"

"What about a braided headband after Rose straightens it?" Charlotte suggested, having been racking his brain for a full minute from the miles of hair styles the drag queen has seen over the years, "It's still simple, but it's versatile. You can even stick a few flowers or a ribbon into the woven parts to jazz it up for the party if you wanted to."

"I love it!" Alice breathed fondly, "I haven't had my hair like that in ages!"

"A braided headband it is then!" Rose proclaimed.

The blonde man proceeded to retrieve his black handled straightening iron from one of the other drawers and immediately plugged it in, then retrieving over supplies like clips and bobby pins to hold the finished produced in place. As the straightening iron was heating up, Alice and Riruka got to girl-talking again with Rose, Charlotte and Szayel putting their two-cents in were they could. When Riruka's lip started running there wasn't a thing you could do or say to get her to shut up!

"How's it going over there Kikyo?" Alice suddenly called out to her sister when there was a reprieve in the conversation. Thanks to Rose's skilled beautician fingers, in less than half an hour a little over half of the younger sister's natural soft-curly hair was perfectly straightened into long golden sheets and it wouldn't be long until the rest would look the same way if Rose kept up the pace.

Up until now, Kikyo and Yumi had been talking quietly between themselves, interacting with the others very little. That was because the eldest sister was too focused on the Hollywood mirror in front of her, giving the lavender loved stylist very specific instructions on what she wanted to final produced to look, like from what she had pictured in her head. Kikyo was meticulous that way, a challenge Yumi always enjoyed doing in when the Latino had an important engagement.

But when Alice's question met Kikyos's ears the silence spell was broken. But it was the perfect time for it since Yumi needed to rest his cramping hands for a few minutes.

"Pretty good actually." Kikyo informed the girl, twisting her head to the right slightly so the Latino could look at her, "I decided on a French twist with a bit of volume up top. Yumi just got finished with crimping my hair, then when he gets back with the hair spray he'll begin pulling it into the up-do. Hopefully my hair will cooperate this time."

"Your hairs always had a mind of its own." Alice joked while smiling at her refection instead of her sister, since Rose was still working, "Just putting it in a single braid when we were kids took about an hour!"

"That's way I'm so jealous of Renji's hair sometimes." Kikyo admitted then, "It's hard to believe the man only uses Axe shampoo and conditioner, he can just roll out of bad and look fabulous on any given day! He's so lucky!"

"Speaking of Renji…" Yumichika brawled slyly while coming back into the room with an unopened bottle of Sexy Hair hairspray, "How is that hunk of a boyfriend doing? It feels like I haven't seen him in ages, has he gotten any new tattoos as of late?"

"No he hasn't and cut that out Yumi!" Kikyo warned, but she was still laughing, "Renji is _my_ man remember?!"

"Yeah Yumichika, and last I checked your still married to cue ball, so don't go sniffing around at other guys!" Riruka exclaimed from where she sat on the far side of the room.

"Will you please stop calling him that?" Yumi asked, not really yelling though his tone was elevated, "His name is Ikkaku! You learned that when you met him at the kendo and martial arts exhibition last week where he was doing a demonstration!"

This was yet another quirky aspect about this group; out of the four male stylists whom where present, two were gay. Yumichika was one of them of course, with Charlotte being the other. That didn't come as much of a surprise when Yumi and Charlotte admitted their sexuality to the girls not too long ago; in all honesty the sisters thought it added to their overall appeal because they were so open and comfortable with it. Rose and Szayel of the other hand were straight as a board, but had no quarrels with working with Yumichika and Charlotte when the truth was revealed to them as well. However the only one who was in some form of a relationship amidst the _Feather Flares _crew was Yumichika and his said husbands name was Ikkaku, a well-known fighter and swords expert in the martial arts world.

Alice, Renji and Kikyo were introduced to Ikkaku Madarame for the first time last weekend, at the very exhibition Yumichika mentioned along with Riruka when she insisted on coming along. Kikyo's stylist friend initially invited the three siblings out since they've never been to an actual exhibition of that caliber and they were certainly not disappointed. Plus is gave the sisters the chance to meet Yumi's infamous lover while he was in his element. As for Ikkaku, he certainly wasn't what Alice was expecting: very tall, muscular (a product of _**years **_of continuous physical training), but the biggest memorable quality was that he was bald. Though Yumi warned later not to say that in front of his husband, as he was very sensitive about it. Renji instantly butted heads with the man since Ikkaku came off as a bit rude and pig headed. Kikyo was on a fence about him too at first, believing he wasn't the right match for such a warm and gentle person like Yumichika. Alice however had better luck in approaching the intimidating sword fighter; asking him questions he was more than willing to answer, like the names and functions of the equipment that were featured in the shows, and a little history about what lead him to being famous in North America.

"How is he doing by the way Yumi?" Alice asked the salon owner, while Rose was running her last untreated lock of hair though the straightener, "Are his hands doing better?"

Yumi instantly smiled at the young woman's remembrance. Each time Ikkaku does a demonstration or competes in a tournament of some kind, he always comes out bruised, bloodied, banged up or all of the above. This past week his lover has been nursing busted knuckles on both of his hands after not wearing any protective mitts before a training match, despite safety enforcers at the exhibition telling him over and over not to do so. But Ikkaku was dead set in his 'traditionalist' ways.

"Well they're not at one hundred percent yet." Yumi admitted, pausing from his work a moment to look at the baby blue eyed blonde, "But since Ikkaku didn't break anything this time, he went back to the dojo Wednesday. But I managed to convince him to keep them covered with bandages while he was out."

"What a stubborn man…" Riruka brawled, almost in disapproval, "You must be some kind of a saint of you can put up with a prick like him!"

"Riruka!" Alice rebuked sharply, well as sharp as her voice could be, "Don't say such crude things!"

Surprisingly to all girls present, Yumi simply laughed.

"It's alright Alice really." The feather clad man said in reassurance after a few seconds, "True Ikkaku can be a bit much sometimes, but when you get to know him a little… you'd be surprised at what kind of a person you'd find under all that aggression."

"That kind of reminds me of when I first met Renji when we were little kids…" Kikyo murmured after a time, allowing her stylist's words to sink in fully, "He was so rough looking, with an ego the size of Texas to match it. But when he was around Alice and I, it was like he became this whole other person… it's difficult to explain…"

Alice stared at the Hollywood mirror in awe for a time at her sister's words, with her refection doing the exact same thing right back. As she's rarely heard Kikyo mention their childhood; it was just something they never really spoke of as a unit between the siblings. Let alone in the presents of others, even if they were becoming closer to them. That was when Alice felt a tapping on her knee and shoulder, blinking she locked eyes with Roses' reflection as he gave a knowing wink, along with Riruka's wide magenta ones when she stuck her tongue out in a playful way. Charlotte and Szayel also smiled softly at her, intern pulling one on her own lips.

"Done!" Rose suddenly informed, setting the hot straightening iron on the counter before unplugging it so it could cool off, "All that's left to do now is weave the braid and fasten it at the back of your scalp. Do you still want to have some kind of accessory in it angel?"

"Mmmm… No, I think I'll pass this time." Alice eventually answered, after thinking it over, "The headband will be enough for me."

"Alright then."

"You look so different with straight hair Alice." Szayel stated, as the said woman felt Rose gather up the right amount of loose strands for the braid near the base of her skull, "Almost matured in a way."

"You think so?" Alice asked, genuinely curious.

"He's right angel." Charlotte agreed with his pink haired co-worker, which was a rare occurrence, "But it's a good look for you, it flatters the shape of your face impeccably."

"Well, I have been told that my curls make we look younger then I really am." Alice informed, "Not many college students have bangs anymore."

"And yet they keep coming back every other season in fashion magazines!" Riruka exclaimed, while Rose was tying off the completed braid, "You should just keep them for a while Al, then you'll be on trend all year around."

That made Alice giggle, "I have no plans on changing anything anytime soon. But thanks for the advice Riruka."

The next five minutes were spent in content silence within _Feather Flares_, during which time Rose and Yumichika wrapped up Alice and Kikyo's hair appointments by securing the styles with pins and a few sprits of hair spray. Next came makeup and that meant Riruka's expertise would be called upon. The eldest sister was the first to take the consultant's chair, which was located on the northern most wall of the salon, complete with a bigger Hollywood mirror and a vanity stocked full of the latest makeup products for all skin types. Everything from eye shadow and lip liner to bronzer and glitter was at Riruka's disposal.

Because Kikyo still didn't have a dress to match any of the cosmetics with, Riruka went for an all-around nude look for the business woman. Meaning that only that lightest shades for both the eye shadow and blush, and a fine shade of pink for her lips, so no matter what dress Kikyo decided on, she would still look fabulous and well put together. Riruka even refrained from using too much eye liner with too volume of a mascara, because Kikyo wanted to stay within the 'all natural' definition.

As for Alice, Riruka wanted to do something special for her friend by making her baby blues the focal point of her face. As they were Alice's best facial features in the young girls opinion. So instead of adding any blush to her cheek's, the young makeup guru opted in brushing a thin layer of glitter (the color of which perfectly matched the robin's egg shade of the blonde's evening wear) to the outer most corners of Alice's eyes before darkening her eyelashes with Urban Decay liquid mascara that was blacker-then-black. No eye liner was used this time, since it would have been a hair too much for this event, however runaway red lip gloss by Runaway Rogue added the right pop of color where it counted.

"There, you're all done Al!" Riruka announced, clearly pleased with her work as she turned Alice's chair back around, facing the mirror so her client could see, "Now you just look drop dead gorgeous!"

Alice was initially struck by how different she look in that moment. More… daring and confident. Something Alice has never saw of herself and has never attempted to be as such. But looking at her reflecting now; it was the perfect boast to her self-esteem that Alice needed before meeting the rest of Kikyo's co-workers for the first time.

"Riruka, this is amazing!" Alice stated, her face-splitting smile couldn't have possibly gotten any bigger, "I may need you do my makeup all the time, because I can't do up my face as well as you can!"

"Fine with me." Riruka answered in a heartbeat, "Just tell me your address and what days to be there! You don't even have to pay me in cash, those donuts or whatever else you have lying around will suffice!"

"Alice! If Riruka's done then hurry up and get changed!" Kikyo called out from a crossed the room, cutting off whatever Alice was going to say to Riruka, as the Latino woman held up a short, gold dress, "If we don't leave in about ten minutes we're gonna late!"

"Here I got your dress Al." Riruka informed the blonde, holding out the lacey skater dress (which was already out of its protective covering), "You can change in the bathroom. Your shoes and jewelry are already there. I even put a bottle of Beautiful Day fragrance mist I had in my locker on the sink if you want to use it, since I noticed you didn't bring any when I went through your stuff earlier."

"Thanks Riruka." Alice breathed gratefully, giving her friend a brief hug before bashing off to the _Feather Flares _bathroom to finish getting ready.

There she quickly zipped up the robin's egg blue, knee length skater dress with a subtle V neckline and short lace sleeves. The flowy skirt was smooth, but the way it swished when Alice turned her hips, was very flattering for a woman with such a sweet disposition like her. As for her footwear and accessories, Alice kept them fairly simple; robin's egg blue pumps with a chunky heel, three silver bangles on her right wrist, a silver chain necklace with an outline of a robin sitting on its nest as the pendent, and finally, silver dangly earrings of the same design as her necklace. As a final touch she spritzed on a good amount of Beautiful Days perfume on her wrists and neck, then gave herself a head-to-toe scan before exiting the bathroom with her sparkling silver clutch purse in hand.

"OOOOOOOO! Alice you look FABULOUS~!" Charlotte sang as Alice came into the room, and much to the blonde's embarrassment, all eyes turned towards her when the taller man did so, "If only I can rock a skater dress as well as you can!"

"Indeed, you look very lovely angel. Riruka's handy work and that dress makes everything come together splendidly." Szayal compliment the already bashful woman as he and the other _Feather Flares _crew members gathered around her, "If you didn't already have an engagement to be at this evening, I would invite you out for a nice dinner downtown to show you off."

"Technically _I'd_ get first crack at that." Rose stated a heartbeat later, "Since I was the one that had a hand in her transformation."

"Alright everyone, back off already!" Riruka blurted out, coming to Alice's defense by placing herself in front of the blond and holding her arms out all dramatic-like, as if she was to be a living shield, "You're going to make Alice melt all of her makeup off flirting with her like that!"

Alice merely giggled lightly; sure she was flustered by all the applause, but she was hardly blushing _that_ brightly. Still it was kind of Riruka to 'save' her.

"Where's Kikyo? Is she ready yet?" Alice proceeded to ask, pointing out that the Latino wasn't in the room at this moment.

"After you left to change, Kikyo went into the break room to do the same thing. She should be out anytime now." Yumi answered.

"Thank you for getting us in here today Yumi." Alice then said in gratification, "Sorry if it was too much trouble."

Yumichika merely smiled affectionately, before wordlessly giving the young blond and warm hug, "It was no problem at all angel," he started, the tone of his voice as soft as his embrace, "You and Kikyo are both welcomed here anytime. Plus I bet Riruka wouldn't care if you stopped by everyday just to chat."

Alice immediately turned and smiled at her Lolita friend, whom was bouncing like an excited rabbit at the prospect while grinning ear to floppy ear. In all honesty the baby blue eyed woman wouldn't mind entertaining the thought either. It's a good thing she has more free days now that the spring semester has wrapped up for the summer. So hopefully she'll be making that happen in the near future.

"Alice you look so pretty!" Kikyo's voice gasped, prompting Alice and the rest of the salon workers to turn as the Latino woman came back into the room.

After much deliberation between her and the other _Feather Flares _stylists, the hazel-green eyed woman finally settled on wearing her past-the-knee, spaghetti strapped gold sequin wrap dress with a semi-short slit that went halfway up the length of her left leg. Needless to say the dress looked stunning on Kikyo's figure, not to mention how it looked next to her olive skin tone. Surprisingly however, it wasn't riskee in design like most dresses Kikyo has been known to wear in the past. That probably had to do with whose dinner party they would be attending, so Kikyo refrained from wearing anything too revealing this time around. When it came to her shoes and jewelry it was the same as it's always been; though even they were subdued as well. Golden colored stiletto heels with an ankle strap, a gold pinky ring on her left hand with a small diamond, another chunkier ring on her right hands thumb, a three layered gold chain necklace and pea sized diamond stud earrings Renji gave her last year for her birthday. As for her purse, it was a simple metallic gold leather envelope clutch and it must have been new since Alice had never seen it before.

Needless it say, Kikyo looked breathtaking.

"You look great too sis-sis!" Alice marveled as she rushed up to embrace her sister. The younger sibling even caught a whiff of Kikyo's favorite expensive scent as she approached her, La Vie Est Belle. A department store perfume the Latino woman only wore on the most exclusive of occasions.

The two sisters then spent a whole minute excitingly inspecting each other's new looks while the _Feather Flares _crew watch on in silence; the sisters were so cute when they interacted this way.

"We still have a couple minutes before we head out…" Kikyo stated while she glanced at the time, after Alice ask Riruka how she was able to blend Kikyo's eye shadow so flawlessly, "So let's snap a few photos to send to Renji. Yumi do you mind?"

After a generous amount of photos were collected on Kikyo and Alice's phones (both polished and humorous, one of which when Riruka decided to be funny and jumped into one of Alice's solo ones) and the arrangement made to collect any leftover items of Kikyo and Alice's at a later date, the sisters slowly made their exits out of the salon and down Galleria's third-story hallway. All the while 'goodbyes' were being exchanged:

"Tell Ikkaku I said 'hello' Yumi! Love yea!"

"I'll send over some more sweets for you to taste test very soon Riruka! See you later!"

"Knock them dead doll's!" Yumi's voice called after them, "And send Yoruichi my regards!"

"Will do!" Alice and Kikyo finally said in unison, before turning their gazed straight forward when enough space was put between the sisters and _Feather Flares. _

Within minutes the sisters were walking through the revolving doors once more and were back on the sidewalk. Summer hadn't officially started yet, but the humidity of the early evening air would have made Alice think otherwise. As it was hard not to notice the heat radiating off the pavement of Crocker Galleria's parking lot. Thankfully, the sun was evidently setting, and with the blending of orange, red, pale blue, and pink splotching the sky overhead, more relief was on its way.

"How are we getting to Yoruichi's place Kikyo?" The baby blue eyed sister curiously inquired, while watching the Latino woman take out her phone and start typing, "Do we need to hop on another trolley?"

"We're actually going to be hoofing it from here." Kikyo answered, of which frightened her sister greatly (after all they were wearing heels!). That is until the golden clad women enlightened her a bit more, "Yoruichi's house isn't located anywhere close to a trolley station. In fact none of the routes even goes in her direction. But don't worry; Yoruichi only lives about seven blocks from here. She's already given me her address, plus a short cut that will shave off about 12 minutes of walking time. It'll take us through downtown, but it's so early the bar flies and party frats wouldn't coming out for another hour at best. We'll be on Yoruichi's doorstep way before then."

That soothed Alice completely. If her partners place was further away, Kikyo would have _defiantly_ hailed a cab. But the distance was doable and what's the harm in getting a little exercise before a big meal?

"Lead the way sis-sis." Alice directed with a smile.

Kikyo returned her siblings sweet expression, before trekking northward at a steady pace with Alice trailing behind at the same rhythm, in the direction of the 'nightlife district' of San Francisco. That was what downtown was labeled as by the younger crowds and it was a fitting title. But while drinking establishments and dance joints took up a generous fraction of downtowns commercial space, other businesses like casual restaurants, bistros, coffee shops, charming boutiques, and other chains made the option of visiting San Francisco's main street all the more flexible. No matter what time of day (or night) it was.

However at this time of day, when shops were closing and the taverns were just starting to open their doors, was a brief period of welcoming silence from a sidewalk standpoint. Because in just a few short hours, bodies would be lining up wherever you look, rubbing elbow-to-elbow with friends and strangers alike. While drinking themselves to oblivion inside the neon-lit bars and dancing along the streets without a care in the world. Even a naturally innocent person like Alice had to admit such excursions got the heart pumping from exhilaration and were fun, in their own ways.

But for now downtown was peaceful as Kikyo and Alice walked down its streets, there were still spurts of people around, but it was hardly humming like it was yesterday in Chinatown. Most had to be employee's arriving early for their shifts or simply paying customers who wanted to enjoy a couple cold ones and leave before things got crazy later. The trio had only ever came to downtown when it was late and packed out the wazzu, so it was a rarity for Alice to see it so spacious and open. Which prompted her baby blues to wander; half people watching, half admiring the character of downtowns buildings as she easily kept up with her sister. Who unlike her, kept her hazel-green eyes forward and focused to prevent any distractions.

After approximately 8 minutes, the sisters had about exited the downtown area. In doing so, Alice and Kikyo were about to pass by _Broken Boots_, an all too familiar watering hole to the trio. _Broken Boots _was a frequent 'pit stop' for Kikyo, Alice and Renji when they came downtown, because unlike other drinking establishments surrounding it, they don't allow dancing. As the saloon's space isn't big enough to house a dance floor. So it was the perfect place to unwind and relax at one of _Broken Boot's_ many well-worn wooden tables before going home; slowly sipping a few chilled glasses of water each while listening to either the live band present or the country radio station that was always playing on their loudspeakers.

Speaking of _Broken Boot's_ live entertainment, someone was already playing:

**When the sun goes down on my side of town**

**That lonesome feeling comes to my door**

**And the whole world turns blue**

**And there's a rundown bar across the railroad tracks**

**I got a table for two, way in the back**

**Where I sit alone and I think of losing you**

The male singer's voice was deep, yet soft and smooth at the same time that Alice didn't know what the song was until she was straight in front of the saloon's wide open doors. By then the blue eyed blond only caught the tall end of the first verse, but it was enough to make her brake hard right there on the concrete and whip her head around to gaze further in without entering the building. Unbeknownst to Kikyo continuing onward, having no awareness that her younger sister wasn't behind her. Never the less, Alice to too focus on listening to "Neon Moon", by Brooks and Dunn for it to matter. It was a country classic after all, just one of many that was a beloved favorite of the youngest sibling.

**I spend most every night**

**Beneath the light of a neon moon**

**If you lose your one and only**

**There's always room here for the lonely**

**To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams**

**Of a neon moon**

**I think of two young lovers running wild and free**

**I close my eyes and sometimes see**

**You in the shadows of that smoke-filled room**

**No telling how many tears I've sat here and cried**

**Or how many lies that I've lied**

**Telling my poor heart**

**She'll come back someday**

**Oh, but I'll be alright as long as there's light from a neon moon**

**Oh, if you lose your one and only**

**There's always room here for the lonely**

**To watch your broken dreams dance in and out of the beams**

**Of a neon moon**

Alice mouthed the words in sync with the singer, a young man whom was performing on the slightly elevated stage at the far side of the saloon. She continued to sway slowly to the robust twang of an acoustic guitar the performer had sitting in his lap. But because of the brightness of the illuminating neon signs and haze from the pardons cigar smoke, the singers face and physical attributes were a bit distorted. But Alice was still able to make out a few things about him. For one, the man had to be around her age or a few years older, had dark, short spiky hair, and mildly darker skin. Alice even saw a banded choker around his neck and on both exposed forearms, and what looked like block numbers tattooed on his left cheek. There may have been a hint of another, three perfectly straight lines covering the entire right side of his face, but it was impossible to tell without getting within an arm's length of him. From looks alone, one would assume the young singer would be jamming out to rock-and-roll at one of the dive bar joints a crossed the street, not serenading the matured crowd with an equally old country song like "Neon Moon". But in a strange why, Alice felt like the man belonged here. She just didn't know why. 

**The jukebox plays on drink by drink**

**And the words to every sad song seem to say what I think**

**And this pain inside of me**

**It ain't never gonna end**

**Oh, but I'll be alright**

**As long as there's light**

**From a neon moon**

**Oh, if you lose your one and only**

**There's always room here for the lonely**

**To watch your broken dreams**

**Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon**

**Oh, if you lose your one and only**

**There's always room here for the lonely**

**To watch your broken dreams**

**Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon**

**Oh, if you lose your one and only**

**There's always room here for the lonely**

**To watch your broken dreams**

**Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon**

When the last notes ended, Alice, along with other _Broken Boots _customers, lightly clapped for the young musician. A bartender even whistled. As they should have; the performer (whatever his name was) had an amazing voice!

"ALICE!"

The said girls body practically levitated off the ground, when Kikyo's impatient shrill met Alice's ears from further down the sidewalk. "What the Hell did you stop for? Come on already, we can't dilly-dally!" The Latino woman shouted again.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Alice exclaimed, baby blues wide with apology as she scrambled to get to where her sister was a yard or so away.

Once the young blond was side-by-side with Kikyo again, she proceeded to explain what she was doing loitering in front of a bar as the sisters continued their trek to Yoruichi's home. Beyond the perimeter of downtown was San Francisco's high collar offices, which didn't take long to navigate thanks to Kikyo's short cut which by-past any confusing winding streets. Then before long the skyscrapers gave way to the million dollar homes district of San Francisco, which greatly confused the younger sister because Alice wasn't told one of which belonged to Yoruichi Shihōin. That was because Kikyo hadn't told her sister that her partner was paid a _**ridiculous **_salary at _Senbonzakura Design_ for her work, almost three times as much on top of what Kikyo makes and that's just on commission!

_I bet she totally gawks like a country bumpkin like she did at the Christmas party when we get to Yoruichi's house… _Kikyo grinning to herself, when she recalled the look on Alice's face as she took in the magnitude of her ex-husbands cali headquarters, _Hopefully I can keep myself in check until we get there!_

The Latino wouldn't have to wait long, because about 10 minutes later, both sisters were walking down the circular, cobblestone driveway in front of a massive, two story luxury home with a freshly preened front lawn. Complete with white wash sidings, concrete lion statues on either side of the brick steps, all of which led up to the twin fiberglass entry doors lined with frosted glass.

"Wow! This place is GORGEOUS!" Alice marveled, eyes and face lit up like a Christmas tree as she and her sister reached the front door, "I didn't know Yoruichi drove a Bentley Mulsanne! Those are supposed to be one of the most expensive cars in the world!"

"Trust me angel, Yoruichi can afford it. She even has a couple Porche's for when she wants to take a drive down the California coastline every other weekend." Kikyo informed Alice, amusement written all over her face as she did so from her sister's expected reaction.

Alice gasped in awe once more, while observing Kikyo use the brass door knocker to whack at the entryway several times. Interestingly the door knocker was in the shape of a house cat with a large ring hanging from its mouth. Kikyo's suspected that Yoruichi had a fetish for cats for years now, despite neither sister having seen a live one anywhere on the property.

Within the span of two seconds, soft footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door before it opened inward to reveal a women whom was somewhat on the petite side with grey eyes and short black hair. Her hair was in a similar style to Yoruichi's, if it wasn't for the Bettie bangs and the two long strands in the back, both 'tails' were lined in a thick white cloth and tied with a thin elastic at the ends. The women was even wearing a butlers uniform, complete with cufflinks, white silk gloves, and a neatly folded white cloth with a gold "Y" sown on it over her right arm. Each component of the outfit had been configured for a woman's body apparently; even if the lady in question was only 4'11" and looked to be barley over 80 pounds.

"Good evening ladies." The woman greeted with refined decorum, even giving the two sisters a small bow from the waist, "You are Miss Kikyo Bellflower and Miss Alice Rosewood I assume?"

"Yep, that would be us." Kikyo immediately answered, along with a confirming nod.

"Miss Shihōin has been expecting you. Please follow me."

Kikyo and Alice obediently followed the woman through the large foyer, bypassing the grand staircase which lead to the second floor, to make their way down a long hallway. The entire décor of Yoruichi's home was very much like its owner; very classy and sophisticated, enjoying the finer things and life when she can. But at the same they were just objects; its how one chooses to _live_ that Yoruichi lives for at every waking moment. The color theme throughout the home remained consistent as well from what Alice could see. Cool, neutral tones like stone grey paired well with burnt orange and white accents; such as lamps and throw pillows. A few different shades of brown were even noticed here-and-there, along with even randomer pops of color provided by the flower arrangements. Portraits of late Shihōin's, landscapes, and wildlife lined the walls while glossed, cherry hardwood covered all floors of the mansion. Furniture and tables, which looked like they could have been stolen out of Buckingham Palace, were strategically placed in certain rooms and along the hallway the group of women were using. There were even decent sized brass chandeliers along the tray ceiling.

The sisters continued to accompany the female butler until she led them to the final room at the end of the hallway, which was the only one whose door was closed. Alice and Kikyo could both hear muffled laughter on the other side; one of them belonging to Yoruichi as the youngest sibling instantly recognized it. The butler then silently opened the previously closed entryway to reveal an extravagantly large dining room, one that could have easily held a table big enough to sit 30 guests with a ginormous crystal chandelier hanging above their heads. However this time there was only a smaller round table in the center with five high back chairs around it, three of which were already taken.

"Miss Shihōin, Miss Bellflower and Miss Rosewood have arrived." The female butler announced before stepping into the room, then moving aside so the sisters could follow suit.

"Excellent!" Yoruichi stated happily, as she stood up from the table and gracefully made her way over to welcome the newly arrived pair like the seasoned hostess she was, "It's good to see you as always Kikyo… and Alice of course! Thank you both so much for coming."

The mistress of the house was also dressed up for the evening, a floor-length, strapless coral chiffon dress with a sweetheart neckline along with coral heels to match it. Her purple hair was kept up in a simple pony tail. Yoruichi's accessories were, unlike her dress, very extravagant. A Swarovski crystal necklace with a larger crystal in the shape of a diamond as the pendent, matching drop earrings, and a bracelet that went with it. Yoruichi even wore a sizable ring on her right hand, the diamond (set inside of a gold platinum band) looked about the same size as Alice's thumb nail.

"Hey partner!" Kikyo greeted with a wide grin before hugging the older women quickly, "Nice place you have. I'm kind of surprised though, I didn't expect it be _**this**_ big."

"My house only spans two floors Kikyo; that's isn't anything to get excited over. It wasn't even listed as a mansion when I bought the place! It's more of a manor, and that is plenty big enough for me. The only times when all the rooms are ever used is when my younger brother and folks flies in from Florida." Yoruichi said casually before turning her attention on the youngest sibling, to where her expression turned softer, almost motherly, "It's good to see you too little angel, it's been too long."

"It has been awhile huh?" Alice questioned innocently into the woman's ear, while Yoruichi was giving her a more lingering hug then her sister was given.

Just then another women came bounding up behind Yoruichi as she was pulling away from the embrace, almost knocking the exotic haired women off her feet when the overzealous dinner guest bumped into her. Well actually… it was more like her enormous chest did.

"Oh goody! Is this the 'little sister' I've been hearing so much about? Move it Yoruichi I want to meet her!" The bubbly, strawberry blond woman whined like a child.

"For God sakes Matsumoto!" The hostess all but growled at the 'unwelcomed' person behind her, actually turning her whole body around the face the woman, "You need to learn some self-control, you're liable to kill someone with those things!"

Rangiku Matsumoto, a fellow designer of Kikyo, was everything Alice expected her to be. With her long wavy, strawberry blond hair, wide sky blue eyes, full lips, and a beauty mark located right where she was told it would be under the woman's bottom lip; there was no denying that the 5'7½" tall woman was physically beautiful. Though Rangiku will be the first to admit that her body gives her unwanted attention more then she cares to admit. Her chest size was like an f-ing lecher magnate! Not to mention her slacker attitude when it comes to paperwork and her habit of drinking instead of doing her job, doesn't exactly put her on good graces with the boss man. However her easy-going and free-spirited personality makes it easy for anyone to get along with her, professionally or casually. That is once you look past her provocative choices in outfits. Thankfully now wasn't one of those times, as their insightful host didn't want Alice to go blind if she saw Rangiku wearing something inappropriate at their first meeting. But by all estimates it was still on the revealing side. For her evening wear, Rangiku had on a past-the-knee, light pink slip dress with a low back and thin straps. The neckline wasn't plunging like most of the strawberry blondes other dresses, however one could hardly tell, considering the dress was _**scarcely**_ able to keep her ample bosom from spilling over the top of it. How Rangiku was able to get it on without it ripping was a miracle in itself! But Alice still admired how the dress looked on her curvy figure, coupling with the fellow blondes strappy, silver heels, and plentiful array of other flashy silver jewelry (including a generous amount of dazzling bangles on both wrists), it made Rangiku's appearance all the more eye catching.

Kikyo and Yoruichi both were shocked by what Alice did next; the young woman actually walked around the hostess and right up to the pink wearing designer without any fear of what may happen. Rangiku wasn't exactly the most predictable of women; that was what Kikyo and Yoruichi was more worried about.

"Hello there Rangiku, I'm glad to finally get the chance to meet you." Alice started as she stuck out her hand for the said woman to shake. The youngest sibling's demeanor appeared positive and professional, while her tone was pleasant and kind with a gentle smile adorning her red painted lips, "Kikyo has told me a lot about you."

"AWWWW! Aren't you the most _**precious **_little thing?!" Rangiku squealed, her icy blue eyes sparkling with evident mirth by the baby blue eyes women's greeting, "Kiki never said you were so sweet! And look at you, you have such a pretty face! But please, throw the modesty away, it's stifling enough when I have to do it at work! Just be yourself when you're around me, got it?"

"O-Oh ok." Alice murmured in surprise, but smiled a second later regardless when Rangiku practically threw professional decorum into the wind and swept the semi shorter girl into a bone crushing hug. But somehow being mindful not to suffocate Alice with her ample bosom.

As Kikyo and Yoruichi were letting out a simultaneous breath of relief, the second lady that had been seated at the table stepped over to the group. Though the taller woman's pace was far calmer then Rangiku's earlier entrance into the conversation.

"Good evening dear." The unknown women greeted Alice when she was close enough, her voice was like velvet to match the warm smile on her face as she too offered her hand out to the youngest guest, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. My name is Tier Harribel and like Yoruichi, I'm a project scout. Although a lot of my assignments have been conducted out of state recently."

Alice had only heard about Tier from Kikyo a handful of times, because, as the taller woman has explained, Tier was always on the road on out-off-town assignments for Byakuya. Chasing down leads while closing the deals the Latino's ex-husband wouldn't have been able to attend otherwise. So needless to say Kikyo and Tier didn't interact very much while at the office, but when they did have a chance to talk, Tier was always pleasant to be around. By nature Tier wasn't a very talkative person, only speaking when she had important information that needed to be addressed like during staff meetings. Proving again and again what an analytical and level-headed person she was. Tier had a bronzy skin tone, bluish-green eyes then resembled the ocean and thick eyelashes. The style of her short, golden blond hair was a bit intriguing; it kind of struck Alice as a surfer-chick kind of vib. And considering Tier's figure appeared toned and lean from working the cali waves, that could have been a possibility. To off-handedly describe Tier's hair, it came off as messy at best, both in style and cut, like she trimmed her own hair at home instead of letting a professional do it. At the same time however, it appeared tame, with three tied-off locks of longer hair at key points on all sides of her skull. Even Tier's dress seemed a bit dressier then an informal woman like her seemed to wear, but regardless the gown looked amazing on her 5'9" tall frame. The grey mermaid gown with a halter top, had lace going all the way from the neckline to halfway down the skirt, where it fluffed out from the sheer tool material and came close to touching the floor. Aside from the grey colored pumps, a costume jewelry ring and grey tassel earrings, Tier didn't wear any other accessories. She was a bit of a minimalist that way.

"It's nice to meet you too Tier." Alice greeted politely, while returning the taller woman's warm, firm handshake.

"Hey Yoruichi… Where's Nanao, Momo, and Isane?" Kikyo asked suddenly, looking from the now empty table to her partner, "They should have beat Alice and I here."

"Oh that… Nanao called me late Friday afternoon to cancel; a family emergency came up and she didn't expect to be back in time to attend. As for Momo; she developed a bad case of food poisoning after she and Isane tried out a new sushi place that had opened uptown yesterday. Guess the poor girl's stomach can't handle raw fish very well. Isane didn't get sick (thank goodness), but she felt terrible about it since she was the one that suggested the place. So being Isane she offered to stay over and take care of Momo until she got better." Yoruichi explained, with a slight grimace on her face.

"Damn! I had no idea!" Kikyo exclaimed, genuine shock clear as day on her face.

"Yeah, I went over this morning to check up on them and to drop off some fresh cloths for Isane. She was in such a hurry to get over to Momo's that she forgot to take anything with her." Rangiku informed the Latino, actually sounding a bit serious as she did so, "Isane said Momo was doing better than she was last night; but dumpling was still throwing up her toes when I left. Momo says she was going to try and go into work tomorrow though, if she somehow manages to keep solid foods down."

"So that means it will be just the five of us this evening. To be honest I'm glad we have a few absent, it'll give us the chance to catch up without everyone talking over each other." Yoruichi admitted to the immediate group, before she addressed the female butler who had stayed quiet as a mouse until now, "Suì-Fēng, please inform Chief Seizo that he may now start preparing the first course to bring out. After, please fetch the drink cart and bring it back to fill our glasses."

"At once, Miss Shihōin." The female butler, now called Suì-Fēng, answered, before promptly exiting the dining room to do just that.

After that, Kikyo was instructed by Yoruichi to sit at her right, while Alice took the spot to her left. This meant Alice would be sitting right next to Rangiku for the duration of the meal. To which the pink clad woman couldn't have been more thrilled about, proceeding to talk to Alice a mile-a-minute until Kikyo told her to slow down. The table setting had already been prepared before the guests had even arrived, looking much like one would see in a fine dining restaurant, complete with two wine glasses for each person and gold foil porcelain plates. Moments after the ladies were settled into their cushioned chairs, Suì-Fēng returned with a rolling glass cart, topped with 8 unopened bottles of the best red and white wine from Yoruichi's private stash, along with a large bucket of ice, metal tongs and a cork screw to open the wine. Unlike Rangiku, who was practically dancing in her chair for something alcoholic, Alice was starting to get a queasy feeling in her stomach at the sight. Only growing all the more until the female butler brought the cart to a stop behind the said blonde's seat.

Alice has never been a drinker for as long as Renji and Kikyo have known her. Sure she's sipped a mojito or mai tai when the trio went out; but that was only afterKikyo _**finally **_convinced Alice to try one after turning 21. The baby blue eyed women would just much rather dance to the clubs playlists then sitting in a corner booth and get drunk. But when Alice did indulge; two was her max. Anymore and it makes her sick. Plus Alice was very particular about her drinks: this was the part that infuriated Kikyo the most. If Alice so much as tasted a _small_ amount of alcohol within a concoction, she couldn't drink it. Plain and simple.

Luckily for Alice, Yoruichi remembered that small detail, back from when the younger sister explained it to her during the Christmas party. The older project scout had noticed Alice declining every tuxedo clad servers offer to take a bubbly glass of champagne from off their trays. So it didn't take a genius to put two-and-two together.

"Not to worry Alice, I took the liberty of asking Suì-Fēng to making a trip into town and purchasing some sparkling water from the store. I also have some regular grape juice or soda's if you'd prefer." The Yoruichi told the young blonde, ending the sentence with a wink.

"I hope you don't mind Miss Alice…" Suì-Fēng's refined voice interjected. Alice looked over and saw the grey eyed butler holding out a lime colored can with both hands, "This brand of sparkling water is a personal favorite of mine. I would recommend you'd start off with a Bubly Lime and then finish the meal with something sweeter when we get to dessert."

Alice had never tried Bubly sparkling water before, but her Café coworker Mashiro drinks them all the time and claims there really good. So what's the harm?

"That sounds great, thank you Suì-Fēng." Alice said, giving the female a grateful nod and smile which was returned by the petite butler.

Within moments of Suì-Fēng picking up one of Alice's wine glasses, it was being placed carefully back on the table in front of her. Suì-Fēng has obviously done this for years and it showed in the drinks presentation. The long stemmed wine glass was now filled with a clear bubbly liquid, floating around inside the glass were exactly three small cubes of ice. The perfect amount of chunks for keeping this size of a glass chilled. It defiantly wasn't a five star drink, but it was created with Alice in mind.

As Suì-Fēng proceeded to move the rolling cart around the table, Alice took a small sip of the sparkling water as Tier was receiving her glass of red cabernet. Instantly the carbonated lime flavor tickled her taste buds when it landed on her tongue; Bubly Lime was a bit similar in taste to a club soda except it was in a can form. Needless to say Alice loved it and made a mental note to put in on her shopping list the next time she went out to the store!

But Alice would have more delights to look forward to as the evening went on. Because after the drinks were distributed among the all-female guests, a line of servers came in from the kitchen to serve the first course of the evening. To which Yoruichi called the Hors d'oeuvres, or finger foods course. The first round of food were protected by stainless steel plate covers until they were safely sitting in front of the women, then they were lifted to reveal two slices of crostini topped with a freshly made goat cheese and fig-olive tapenade. Everyone was quick to gobble those up, they were a delicious way to start a meal.

Next came the second course, which was the average appetizers found in every sit-down restaurant. Although Alice never remembered candied carrots with honey, cumin, and paprika on Olive Gardens menu the last time she ate there with her siblings. But their hostess's personal chief Seizo _literally_ brought all of his culinary skills to the table with this dish. The base of the dish was sweetened in taste because of the honey dipped candied carrots, but the cumin and paprika added the right amount spicy to break up all that syrupy flavor. The whole dish was kind of a veggie adaptation of sweet-and-sour chicken, and it danced a tango number inside of Alice's mouth the whole time she ate it. She actually took her time eating the carrots because she wanted to enjoy the dish for as long as humanly possible!

The third course was apparently the main one; showcased with a perfectly seared, medium rare grilled flatiron steak with rosemary potatoes as the side. The steak was only five ounces, so it wasn't incredibly big. Enabling all the table guests to eat every bite without feeling guilty, even with the previous courses already under their belts. Chief Seizo seemed to be a very mindful individual when it comes to portion sizes, because by now the women were only starting to get full. But Alice, Kikyo, nor anyone else was ready to tap out just yet. Which was good; because there was still one decadent course was left to get through.

Dessert was clearly Yoruichi's favorite course; made apparent as she savored every morsel of her rich flourless slice of chocolate cake. For dessert the ladies were given an option between the mentioned chocolate cake, a lemon creme brulee or fruit tarts topped with all kinds of colorful berries. Alice went for the cake as she was very fond of it, while her sister Kikyo decided to try the lemon brulee. Rangiku and Tier on the other hand wanted to have a fruit tart since they looked so tasty on their serving trays. Between bites and sips of their glasses of various drinks, the ladies made animated conversations all throughout the evening; mostly directed towards the new comer since Kikyo had kept her lips closed about her and what she did up until now.

"So you're actually an author? That so neat!" Rangiku complimented Alice from her chair, her Latino co-worker quick to pick up how honest she sounded. Which was a rare occurrence in the strawberry blonde's case, the only times she was ever really deliberate about anything is when important projects were handed off to her, "So what stuff have you published? Is it anything we've heard of?"

Alice lightly swallowed a mouthful of the Bubly Orange, which she started drinking following the desserts arrival to the table, in a blundering attempt to hide the dark blush that was threatening to take over her entire face. And because Riruka opted to not put any blush on earlier it only looked more noticeable.

"I've only actually published one novel since I started college." Alice eventually answered in a humbled voice, despite her heart racing inside her chest. She didn't like talking about herself to strangers, "Most of the stuff I'm known for in the literacy community are poetry and short stories since they don't take near as long to compete. My only book is called _The Secret Bodyguard_; it's about a human woman-turned-vampire who becomes the shadowy protector of every American president since George Washington. It took me several years to finish and it's labeled under fiction, fantasy, and history genres. So you guy's probably haven't heard of it before."

"That title sounds familiar to me…" Tier brawled, a single finger hooked underneath her chin as she was deep in thought, "Wasn't that on the list of top ten bestselling New York Times novels a couple summers ago?"

Alice had to summon all of her will power not to spray her orange bubbly drink all over the white tablecloth from the revelation; she couldn't believe Tier actually saw that magazine issue!

"Oh… Gee… Wow… You uh… Saw that?" Alice stammered, somehow her brain forgot how to string two words together as her crimson skin tone went all the way to her toes.

"NO WAY! It's _that _popular?!" Rangiku hooted a tad too loudly, her sky blue eyes ready to bulge right out of her head from fascination at the new information, "Do you have any idea how impressive that is!"

"Impressive indeed…" Yoruichi started, actually agreeing with her normally air-headed coworker for once as she gave the youngest lady at the table a notable smirk, "Normally authors don't start having their works in circulation until they reach my age. It's quite a feat to find someone so young and so well established in any field these days, you should be proud by what you have accomplished."

"Well… I am…" Alice stated, a bit bashfully as she started playing with the hem of her dress underneath the table, "But this nothing that needs to be advertised to everyone."

"She's even published dozens of poems in poetry magazines, like the ones you submit to the Poetry Foundation. That's the world renowned publishing agency that's based in Chicago!" Kikyo announced happily, smiling from ear-to-ear, "They've flown Alice up there several times for conferences, to read some of her works to thousands of CEO's from other publishing agencies from around the world!"

"Kikyo! Please!" Alice practically begged from her chair, if she could get on her hands and knees she would have. The flustered girl would have done anything… _**anything**_ if it made her sister stop talking, namely about that!

"Is that true Alice?" Tier asked, her aqua eyes and tone actually betraying her astonishment.

Alice issued a small squeak sound in response, before finally wheezing out, "Y-Yes." If her face got any redder, pretty soon her formerly pale skin would become a perfect complement to her older brother's hair!

"B-B-But it's not like I'm s-special of anything! I'm not t-the only one they do that for!" Alice proceeded to sputter out in the hurried manor, "They just _really _like my work for some reason! B-But my stuff isn't anything special I can assure you! I mean sure, I sold a lot more copies of _The Secret Bodyguard _then I thought I would, but that doesn't-"

The sound of the hostesses amused laughter caught the youngest blonde by surprise, to which it made her stop any further embarrassing rambling. 

"Angel you're adorable." Yoruichi stated, after her evidently controlled mirth ceased, "But there's no reason to be so embarrassed! Like I told you, feeling satisfaction about your accomplishments doesn't necessarily make you an arrogant person. You only act that way if you let your successes go to your head and from what I can see that hasn't happened yet. So have pride in what you've done and experienced thus far; I can't think of another heartwarming person that is more deserving of that privilege then you."

Kikyo actually turned and stared hard at her partner; never has she heard Yoruichi say something so inspiring to anyone. Rangiku and Tier have sparingly in the past, so it wasn't anything new. Though the female pair still glance at their senior co-worker with a knowing, glint in their eyes to show they agreed whole hearteningly about what she said to Alice. Strangely though, Kikyo didn't exactly feel the same way. Obviously she had always been proud of Alice for all that she has done since coming to San Francisco, Kikyo wouldn't have been a good sister if she didn't from the start. But somewhere inside the Latino has always been deeply envious of her baby blue eyed sibling. She couldn't help it: Alice was so perfect in every way. No matter what obstacles stood ahead of her, she always overcame them somehow. Everyone loved her. She was the trio's glue. Hell Alice was probably braver then she and Renji combined! But that was just the kind of person she was… that alone prevented Kikyo from hating her.

Then why does it feel like she's lying to herself?

"Ok ladies!" Yoruichi voice suddenly exclaimed, which in turn broke Kikyo out of her mental stupor to see her partner clapping a couple times to get the tables attention, "Let's put the topic of Alice to rest for now; I think she's been abashed enough for one night. Kikyo, I believe you had an announcement you wanted to make this evening?"

"Yes, I did." Kikyo answered, Alice watched her stand up confidently from her seated position, "I wish Nanao, Momo, and Isane were present to hear this too, but I'm sure Rangiku will fill them in at work tomorrow. So as to not keep you in any further suspense, I'd like to formally announce that my boyfriend Renji and I will be opening our very own women's catering host club by mid-June!"

All table members immediately clapped in excitement, Rangiku even whooped like a cowgirl in celebration. But Kikyo wasn't through talking, "I'm well aware that you've known about this for a while, as it's been ripening in the think tank for months now. But that isn't the only thing I wanted to tell you all. My biggest announcement is that Yoruichi has been kind enough to offer her own money, so that we may purchase a space downtown for the host club."

A surprised gasp ripped forth from Alice's lips at Kikyo's news, it would have been heard by everyone if Rangiku and Tier hadn't of covered it up with further applause. _When did this happen? _Alice thought, as she watched her sister and Yoruichi shake hands like they had concluded a business deal, _Yoruichi seems fine with it, so they must have talked in though before now. That's good to know; I'd hate it if Yoruichi felt like she __**had **__to it because she and sis-sis work so closely together and there isn't any indication that Kikyo_ _coerced Yoruichi into the arrangement. But still… It doesn't feel right borrowing money from someone like this…_

Alice would continue to mull about this for the next half hour. During which time the remaining dinner plates were removed from the table by Suì-Fēng and the other kitchen staff, leaving the wine glasses for continued use on the table. From that point on Yoruichi and her dinner guests would have the dining room to themselves to gossip or whatever else until everyone decided it was time to retire to their homes for the night. That still seemed well of a ways off, since the atmosphere of the immediate room remained as lively as ever. Suì-Fēng still appeared every so often to top off any drinks for the guests and her mistress, but otherwise the five person party was left alone.

"What's gotten you so quiet angel?"

Alice perked up at the voice and saw Yoruichi standing over her with a kind expression on her face. "Oh, it's nothing." She fibbed, while hiding it by returning the older women's smile, "Thank you again for inviting us here tonight Yoruichi; dinner was amazing and I'm having a really good time. I'm probably just a bit droopy since it's getting late."

Unfortunately, the purple haired hostess could see right through that lie.

"Kikyo never told you about the arrangement we made did she?" Yoruichi asked point blank.

Alice immediately deflated, before giving the women a small nod, "Sis-sis tends to do that." The young writer revealed.

Yoruichi then moved to lean up against the table without putting her full weight on it. Tier and Kikyo were currently exploring the dining rooms lavish amenities with rapid interest, since they weren't given the opportunity to do so before the meal started. So they were far enough away to where they wouldn't be able to hear any of what Yoruichi and Alice were saying. Rangiku on the other hand was still sitting in her chair; however there wasn't any worry of her eavesdropping. The strawberry blonde was already passed out after drinking over three bottles of strong red wine by herself; her whistling snores suppressed by the tablecloth since her face was planted on it.

"Can't say I'm very surprised to hear that. But Kikyo could have the decency to be a bit more communicative with her siblings. Specifically before telling her plans in front of a bunch of people like this." Yoruichi admitted sternly in her partners' direction, then her face shifted to a tender expression when her attention was back on Alice again, "But please… don't think Kikyo forced me into doing any of this. Every year I give money to an organization of my choice, it's my way of giving back, and this time I wanted it to be with her business venture. Believe it or not Kikyo and I have been collaborating on this idea for some time, but it was always going to be your sister that actually sees it through. Kikyo's ambition has always been that driven. I just wanted to play my part in the scheme by assisting with the takeoff, even if it's to only buy the space that will become the host club."

Alice simply murmured 'oh' in understanding from the woman's words. That certainly sounded like her sister.

"And if it makes you feel any better, think of this as a donation of good faith instead of a loan. Since Kikyo already knows that she doesn't have to pay me back later. Plus we've arranged that I will be among your first group of clients if I helped out with the startup costs." Yoruichi concluded, placing a reassuring hand on the young women shoulder, "I'm still going to be keeping tabs on the place though; don't think you and your brother are the only ones who knows what happens when Kikyo gets a little wild."

That prompted Alice to giggle, "Thanks for telling me all that, I feel better already."

Yoruichi merely winked, "Anytime angel."

Alice remained quiet for a moment, listening to Kikyo and Tier's voices chatter about some old photograph that was hanging on the wall. Mostly about whether or not it may have been Yoruichi's grandmother when she was a child.

"Do you mind if I use your restroom Yoruichi?" Alice abruptly asked the hostess.

"Of course I don't. Just go out the same doorway you came in with and turn left; it will be the fourth room on your right."

Alice thanked the older woman graciously before grabbing her purse and briskly walking a crossed the room with it and out the door, leaving it wide opened behind her so it would be easier to find the way back. Because of the hostess's accurate directions, Alice found the nearby bathroom within minutes, but didn't go in just yet. Instead she took this private moment to slip her phone out of her clutch and to check the time.

_10:45. Wow, it's that late already?_ Alice thought, _I figured dinner would take a while, but not that long!_ _Maybe I should go ahead and call Renji while I have time to myself…_

Alice proceeded to tap her brother's cell number from her call list. It only rang three times before he picked up.

'**Hello?**' Her brother asked through the earpiece. He must not have looked at the caller ID before answering.

"Hey Renji, it's me." Alice told him, automatically smiling to herself at the sound of his voice.

'**Hey baby girl! Hold on let me go outside so I don't have to yell.**'

At that, Renji's phone was pulled away from his face; presumably so he could watch where he was going while he made his way to the exit. But it was apparent through the phone's listening set that he was still at the club. Because in the midst of all the blaring background music and shuffling of people, Alice could make out Renji's voice. First yelling at Ichigo that he was going outside to take a call, then saying 'excuse me, excuse me' every so often as the red head steadily weaved through the seemingly crowded place. A moment later however, the opening and closing of a heavy door cut off any further techno beats; enabling both Renji and Alice to hear and speak clearly to each other.

'**Damn! Finally! I can hear myself think!**' Renji breathed out from the other line, '**The place is crazy tonight!**'

"I take it your having a good time then?" Alice asked playfully.

There wasn't an evident slur in the man's mildly, winded voice, so it didn't _sound_ like he'd been drinking. At least not more than usual. But then again Alice has witnessed how high Renji's alcohol tolerance was. That didn't mean Alice still didn't worry about him, even if he was with his construction friends right now.

'**Yeah, everything's going great!**' Renji told her, she could practically hear himself smiling, '**We're actually kind of celebrating right now. Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Uryu couldn't say "yes!" fast enough when I told them about the host club idea. Actually left me speechless for a second!** **I couldn't even tell yeah what their more excited about: having a second job or the prospect of being surrounded by pretty ladies all night!**'

That mental picture actually caused Alice to laugh, "Well, Kikyo will be happy to find out that, as of tonight, three host positions are already filled."

'**For sure… Oh! I got the pictures you guys sent me earlier, you and kitten look amazing!**'

"Thanks Renji. Yumichika and the others thought so to! Riruka did a great job on mine and Kikyo's makeup." Alice told him warmly.

Then the blonde women's smile slipped at the mention of her sister, as her mind drifted back to the announcement that took place over half-an-hour ago. _Kikyo must have had a good reason for not telling her and Renji about the third party financial help, right? Then why does it leave a bad taste in my mouth?_ Alice didn't mean for her thoughts to linger for so long, because when she did, all talking ceased on her end and it was a little too long for Renji's liking.

'**Alice, what's going on?**' Renji questioned, his tone stern enough to get her attention, but not forceful enough to frighten her.

Alice bit her bottom lip in hesitation. She didn't like tattle-telling on her sister like this; but Renji had a right to know.

"Renji… Did Kikyo ever tell you that Yoruichi was going to be buying the commercial space for the host club?" The baby blue eyed woman asked finally, though her voice was faint from the strain of getting it out.

Several seconds went by on Renji's end, until he answered in a serious tone, '**No. Wait, **_**Yoruichi**_**? Kikyo's design partner? Why would she be doing all that?**'

"I don't know." Alice admitted earnestly while shaking her head, despite Renji not being present to see it, "After dessert, Kikyo told everyone about the plans for the host club… and that Yoruichi would be helping us out. But Yoruichi says that she was doing this on her own and that Kikyo didn't did sway her in any way… that's good news I guess."

'**Still! What the Hell is Kikyo thinking?!**' Renji blurted out into Alice's ear, '**She can't just borrow money from someone so close to her! I mean, we haven't even started putting the business plan together and she's already finding shareholders to loan money from!?**'

"I don't think that's what's happening." Alice informed her brother gently, immediately calming her brother's aggravation, "From what Yoruichi told me, she and Kikyo have been hatching this 'host club' idea for months now. But instead of going into the business together, Yoruichi is giving sis-sis the reins and complete control over everything. So only Kikyo and you will be the owners. Yoruichi just wants to give her one contribution to the whole thing, which will give Kikyo the momentum she needs to get started."

Alice heard Renji take a few deep breaths, he must have gotten a bit riled up, "I'm sorry… I-I should have told you all this in person and not over the phone…" She said regretfully.

'**No… You were right to tell me this now…**' The red head stated, his voice calmer then it was before. But in the background his resentment towards his girlfriend was still evident, '**If Kikyo had her way, she wouldn't have told me at all! Shit! Now I have one more thing that needs to be discussed one-on-one with her!**'

Alice wanted to smack herself then, what was she thinking?! True if she hadn't of said anything to Renji, Kikyo may not had brought it up to either of them again. But what was her sister expecting her to do when she came out, keep quiet? Over something as unethical as this?

'**Has she tried to talk to you since then?**' Renji asked again, this time his voice at a normal level. That soothed Alice greatly.

"No." Alice answered truthfully, "Kikyo's actually been perusing Yoruichi's painting collection with Tier for the past half hour. I'd left to go to the ladies room so I could talk to you without her listening in."

'**Thank you for telling me all this baby girl, and please know that I'm not mad at you in anyway. You were just as much in the dark about this as I was.**'

"I know you're not." Alice stated, a small smile actually coming to her lips, despite the gravity of the situation, "It's understandable to get upset over something like that. I did too just a little while ago."

'**Still, this "communication deficiency" Kikyo has, needs to stop. Now that we're going to be starting a business soon, we have to be able to trust each other. This little stunt was the last straw. She and I are talking all this out TONIGHT and Kikyo's not going to be able to weasel herself out of it either. I don't care if we have to call in sick tomorrow, but it's going to happen one way or the other damn it!**'

Alice let out a long, much needed sigh, thankful she was able to work up the courage and tell her brother the truth. She promised to never keep secrets from him a long time ago after all.

"Miss Alice?"

Alice was so surprised from her name being called, that she jumped slightly and almost dropped her cellphone. When she got her barring's back a second later, the blonde turned and spotted Suì-Fēng striding towards her from the opposite direction from which she came.

"I apologies for startling you Miss Alice." Suì-Fēng said as she came closer, then to a stop when she was within a few feet from the honored guest, "While I was returning to the dining room, I noticed you standing here by yourself at the end of the hallway. Though I didn't realize you were on the phone."

"Oh! No, it's alright. Thank you for asking!" Alice said, smiling her appreciation, "I was talking with my brother. He and his friends are hanging out tonight while Kikyo and I are out of the house and I wanted to check in on him."

"Ah, I see!" Suì-Fēng uttered, her face showing her understanding, "Well please take you time ma'am, there is no rush. I will inform Miss Shihōin of your call should I be asked and that you will be along. Shall I refill your sparkling water while I'm in there?"

"If you would. But can you switch my glass of orange out for a blackberry Bubly instead? I'm curious about how good that one is."

"I'm confident that you will enjoy it immensely. I admit, I'm partial to that particular flavor."

"Really?" Alice asked surprised, then smiling brighter a second later, "Then I'm even more eager to try it!"

"I will have it waiting for you when you return to your chair, I assure you." Suì-Fēng dutifully promised with a bow before the female butler took her leave, heading in the direction of the dining room, "Have a good rest of your evening Miss Alice."

"Just 'Alice' please."

That polite correction actually caused Suì-Fēng to pause her stride and look back at the blonde haired woman.

"You don't have to address me so formally. I'm aware it probably goes against the butler code for appropriate behavior, but if you would, please just call me Alice when no one else is around. It makes for a more casual conversation, wouldn't you say?" Alice asked in a friendly manner, along with a soft smile.

If Suì-Fēng didn't look shocked before, she certainly did now, even if it was on the mild side. Her grey eyes, which at first widened a fraction, was then overruled by a small, open mouth smile, "Consider it done… _Alice_." The female butler answered, putting a gentle emphasis on the informal use of her name before proceeding down the hall once more.

_Miss Shihōin was right… she truly is a different… _Suì-Fēng thought to herself, her smile never wavering from her lips as the petite butler continued to make her way to the dining room, _I wonder if she will be visiting the manor more…? It would be interesting to have her around more often…_

Alice then lifted her cellphone back up to her ear when Suì-Fēng was safely out of range, "Sorry about that Renji. One of Yoruichi's butlers was walking by."

'**That's ok and you don't need to explain, I heard the whole thing.**' Renji's voice reassured her. Thankfully for the baby blue eyed blonde, the red head sounded back to his normal self.

"I won't keep you any longer big brother, I just wanted to see what you were doing and to tell you about… you know…" Alice gently implied.

'**Again, I appreciate it baby girl. Just try and have fun the rest of the time your there. Don't worry about saying anything to Kikyo, I'll pull her aside later like I said I would. I can't promise that we'll be quite; but I'll brag her ass outside if she chooses to start yelling at me.**'

"Just try to be patient with her Renji. I've found that it helps when I'm talking to Kikyo about anything serious."

'**I will. I'm gonna to let you go now baby girl. If I don't go back inside soon, Grimmjow might come outside looking for me.**'

Alice giggle lightly at the joke, prompting Renji to smile on his end, "Ok Renji, I love you."

'**I love you baby girl, bye!**'

And with that, the call ended the instant Alice and Renji pressed the red button.

**A/N****: It's about freaking time I got this chapter done! I've been so nit-picky with the grammar and the spelling that I must have went back and rechecked myself at least 20 times over the past month! Sheesh! **

**Anyway, I'm just going to leave it like this and call it good. My plan is to get started on the third chapter as soon as possible; now that the fall semester will be starting next month. That may sound like it's far away to all you guys, but to me its crush time. There's little chance that I'll be posting the third chapter before collage restarts, since my family and I are going to be taking two road trips starting next weekend and I'll be away from my laptop that whole time. But if I use what opportunity I have and get most of the chapter done before then, HOPEFULLY I'll have it up between September and October if study time allows me. Obviously that's not a guarantee, but I'm going to try my hardest to not keep everyone waiting a very long time for it. Cross your fingers it happens and see you all then! **


	3. Opening Night Part 1 of 2

**A/N****: At last, the chapter we have all been waiting for! Introducing (or better yet **_**reintroducing**_**) the host clubs, all male haram! Minus Alice and Kikyo, but you guys already knew that. I also wanted to give Awen Sofer one last shout out, since this is the 'special' chapter and "What a Womans Heart Really Needs" wouldn't have happened if they hadn't of given me the green light. **

**Any whoooo… Let's get this show on the road! **

**Disclaimer****: I don't own anything associated with Bleach; including its characters, the Anime, or the Manga. I only own my main character and this inspired plot.**

The following couple of months were a roller coaster of activity in the trios' household.

Once the sisters were dropped off by their chauffeur Suì-Fēng at half-passed midnight, Renji did exactly what he said he would. But only after Alice promptly retired to her room beforehand, so she wouldn't be caught in the middle of it.

At first, Kikyo was royally pissed. She couldn't believe Alice would have the audacity to turn around and tell Renji everything about her and Yoruichi's arrangement. The whole point of it was to make it smoother for them to open the host club, so the trio wouldn't have to deal with the messy process of getting a loan from the bank and spending the next several years paying it all back. What's the big deal? So what if she neglected to tell her sister and boyfriend beforehand? It wasn't like Yoruichi and her were conducting anything illegal!

But Renji was quick to put that fire out; spanking Kikyo hard on the behind to get her to shut up and listen long enough to what he had to say. Afterwards, the irritated man spelled out in great detail as to why he was so angry about it at the time.

Eventually the Latino began to realize the deceitfulness of her actions; it was like Kikyo had told Alice and Renji to their faces that she couldn't rely on them to pitch in financially. So she went behind their backs and found someone who could. It may had started out with the best of intentions, but there was no denying that it was a very deceptive idea on the elder sisters' part. Kikyo was instantly filled with regret when it finally sank in and begged Renji to forgive her, which he did dutifully. But only after he made his girlfriend swear that she would apologize to Alice as well first thing.

The couple went on to talk further about what was going to happen next, well into the wee hours of the morning. They talked about everything; both having to do with the business and any unresolved fears or issues Renji was having. They both held nothing back and everyone stayed truthful the whole time. Throughout the young couple's exchanges, they shared sensual kissing and hugs every so often. To signify their love and to solidify their agreement to do a better job of communicating with one another. Because that was going to be important as they moved forward regarding their relationship _and_ with the host club. But when it came to the topic of their younger sister and how Renji had this idea that all the employee's would be hitting on Alice the whole time she was around, Kikyo was initially caught a bit off guard before she found it hilarious.

Of course… she should have expected that sort of thing from him!

The Latino helped put that apprehension of her boyfriends to rest by assuring and reminding Renji that in order to be hired, the males would have to not only be able to control themselves around women, but to also be charming to them as well. If Kikyo wasn't 100% convinced the man could do both, they wouldn't he hired in the first place. And since she planned for Renji _**and **_herself to be present during the interviews, then it will be that much easier to root out the bad apples. Using the good old fashioned two gender standpoints as their weapon of choice.

The next item on the list was shopping around for the host clubs location. That wasn't much of a problem, since Kikyo already had an idea in mind. Downtown was the obvious choice; everything trendy and exciting in San Francisco happened there, not just nightclubs and hot new restaurants. So it was a no brainer that the host club should be there too. The trio took one of their 'weekend fun days' and used it to scope out some properties that were up for sale in the downtown area. There wasn't a whole lot to pick from, but luckily one had the perfect layout for the business and wouldn't need a lot of TLC before renovations could begin. It was a little outside of the actual downtown area, but it was still within walking distance and had easy access to parking. Which made it convenient to get to for future employees, potential clients, and for the trio themselves.

The building was assembled in all brick and mortar, and had a high ceiling. The realtor claimed it was built in the 1990's, so it wasn't that old. Which meant Kikyo and Renji could add any updates later on without worries of complications from the buildings structure. The electrical and plumbing was up to date, they just needed a bit of maintenance. The previous owners must have been in the process of turning the place into a drinking joint of some kind; but for whatever reason never got around to completing it. A long bar counter (which covered the entire east wall of the space) was already installed, along with stable wooden shelving and metal racks for the alcohol. There were even two huge rooms in the back of the building; one would be for storage and the other a locker room where employees can keep their stuff while on the premises. There were also about 10 barely used mitch-matching tables and a large quantity of chairs strung randomly throughout the front room. From a buyer standpoint, the place looked move in ready, which was one of the selling points for Kikyo. That and the partial second floor that was designated as the office space. It had a glass wall that gave occupants the perfect vantage point in seeing the whole front 'showroom' of the building. It would prove to be immeasurable when looking out for any unwanted behavior taking place, as it was strategically built overhead on the north wall. The trio just had to make sure that the office door was locked at all times. Just in case. Another plus the building had was the small circular dance floor in the middle of the front room; which will serve as an entertainment option for clients should they requested a slow dance with their 'dates'.

After almost five days of counter offers, a fair deal was struck with the current owners of the building. While the closing process was underway, it gave Kikyo and Alice plenty of time to collaborate on the décor and color scheme for the host club while the deed on the building was being finalized.

"I think red should be the focal point for the space." Kikyo stated one evening.

She and Alice were sitting next to each other at the kitchen counter while Renji was out picking up pizza. In front of them were piles of red paint and fabric samples Kikyo had periodically brought home from work that week. The Latino found that if clients had a physical sample in their hands as they visualized how it would look in their home, then it made decision making all the more straightforward. Now would prove to be no different.

"Red? But why not purple?" Alice counter questioned, sounding like she wasn't totally convinced, "Purple is supposed to signify deep, passionate love after all."

"Yeah, that's true. But in my experience, purple comes off as a little too erotic. I even tried its lighter cousin violet, but it ended up not making sense in my head. I thought about pink too, as it also represents love, however it's too girly of a color and isn't mature enough to represent an adult-rated business of this stature." Kikyo explained, before her then serious face lighten up a fraction, "Red may come off as a bit pronounced, but it's iconic in regards to romantic interactions. Furthermore, clients will immediately understand what the business concept is and what we are trying to promote as they walk through the door."

"When you put it that way… it makes a lot more sense." Alice commented positively.

"We'll still use a little pink and fiery red every now and then to break it up and add dimension. But regular red is going to be the main focus of the décor. Now we just need to come up with a logo and a name for the host club…" The Latino then brawled, brows low in thought as she stared at the samples before her, "I've been racking by brain for days, yet I can't come up with one thing for some reason!"

Alice hummed in return as she allowed her creative mind to wander and explore. Moments later a smile popped up on her face, "How about we call it _The Red Swan_?" She suggested.

Kikyo instantly looked as if she'd been hit upside the head with a frying pan.

"_The Red Sw-_" She started senselessly, before the elder sister slapped herself in the forehead to get herself in check, "Alice that's _**brilliant**_! When did you come up with that?"

"Well... just now actually…" Alice explained bashfully, "Swans my not symbolize anything having to with love per say, but it's a very graceful and elegant bird. Two qualities I've found that most men want in the ideal woman; not to mention women admire the swan's beauty and inspiring them to find their own inner strength. I like to think of it as an empowering type of animal, stunning yet strong and gentle. Kind of like you sis-sis."

Kikyo felt her heart flutter from that answer, which caused a tender smile to appear on her olive tone face, "You're so sweet angel." She practically cooed before giving her younger sister a warm hug.

Needless to say _The Red Swan _was going to be the host clubs official name. After a bit of tinkering on the design, Kikyo and Renji decided that the logo will look like an abstract outline of an adult, red swan while it was swimming. The actual body of the swan will be on top of the name on the left most corner with a single long, curvy line trailing behind it. The title of the club will be underneath that line in Letterpress font.

Before long, only three weeks remained until _The Red Swan's _debut. At which time we find Alice while she was on her hour break at the _Visored Café_, where she was currently working as a waitress. The young blonde was waiting table's full time for now, since she took the summer off from collage classes. But during the Fall and Spring semesters Alice's boss, Love Aikawa, was flexible with her hours, and approved of her coming in two or three days throughout the week, depending on what papers where due. The rest of the time was strictly for studying and homework.

"How's it going over there Alice? Making any headway on those job applications your sister asked you to go through?"

Alice looking up from the handwritten document she'd been reading and spotted fellow waitress, Lisa Yadōmaru, as she was walking in to join the baby blue eyed woman in the employee's windowless lounge.

Lisa Yadōmaru and Mashiro Kuna were the two waitresses Alice consistently works with, mostly because the young writer was the only one that possessed the mental capacity and patience to put up with both of them during the same shift! It wasn't like they were crazy or mean in any way, but Lisa and Mashiro were just particular about the types of girls they worked alongside. Both for different reasons… _**very **_different reasons, and Alice was the first in a long line of hopeless prospects that fit all the bills.

Lisa was only a couple years older than Alice and by all accounts a standard pretty girl, whom stood at 5'4" when she wasn't wearing shoes. Lisa had a fair skin complexion, almond shaped turquoise eyes, red oval glasses, and long black hair with long, parted bangs that was always pulled back into a single braid going down the length of her back. When it comes to her temperament and personality, Lisa and Alice were quite similar. Always sensible and calm, even in the heat of a hectic lunch rush. That's the aspect about each other they liked the most; neither of them have ever freaked out or panicked in any way for as all long as they've worked together. However there are times when Lisa can get a bit temperamental and irritable, especially if someone comments on her glasses in a way that seems negative. That's when she becomes a bit more detached and secretive, but that doesn't last very long. Like Alice, Lisa was wearing her waitressing uniform. A burgundy colored, pincord double-breasted, housekeeping styled uniform dress with large white buttons in the front and white details on the edges of the sleeves and folded collar, along with company issued white, non-slip sketcher tennis shoes and a white ruffled apron around her waist.

"Just about." Alice answered her coworker with a friendly smile on her lips, "I've managed to weed out 12 of the strongest applicants. I did that by skimming through the bios to see what level of wording they used, how clean the sentence structures were, etc, etc. That's how you're able to distinguish how high a person's intelligence is. Corporate industries use this kind of tactic all the time when hiring."

"Niiiice" Lisa drawled impressively, while making her way to the worn out couch and plopping down into it when she got there. That way the braid wearing woman was next to Alice while she was talking to her, "I wish I was as smart as you."

"It's really not that hard." Alice stated honestly, "You just have to know the steps in the procedure."

"Says the girl with a 4.0 GPA!" Lisa quipped, actually cracking a grin as she did so.

That got a mild laugh out of both Alice and Lisa. Then a minute or so later, Lisa's expression and demeanor became serious before she asked, "Hey. Since you're going to be helping your sister down at her host club next month, does that mean you'll be giving your two-week notice to Love soon?"

Alice rapidly shook her head.

"No, I'm not going anywhere yet." The baby blue eyed waitress informed her coworker gently, "My hours here may be cut down a bit more than usual, especially when classes are back in session in august. But I've already explained things with Love that if you and Mashiro need an extra set of hands, I'll come in no questions asked. If anything I can work on the weekends too, if time allows me."

Lisa huffed another laugh, a slick way of hiding her relief, "That's good to hear. I'd hate to be the one to tell Mashiro that her favorite work buddy would be leaving. I can already imagine her flipping out over it."

Alice still smiled in response, enough though the mental picture of Mashiro rolling on the ground in a tantrum driven episode wasn't a very pleasant thought to have on a Monday.

"I mean it though, Love has my number." She informed Lisa once more.

Time continued marching on; until the day before opening night arrived.

Ten days prier, interviews were conducted by Renji and Kikyo, and thanks to Alice's critical analysis of the men's paperwork, almost all of the ones that were handpicked by the youngest sibling were hired on the spot. Three of which were Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Uryu for host positions; the rest were either invited to turn in their resumes by the red heads construction friends or somehow found out about the other opened positions by other means. That following day, all hosts, the two bartenders, the lone bouncer, and Renji started extensively cleaning every nook and cranny of the host club. Kikyo even worked like a dog alongside them. Then when the place was spotless, the Latino put her interior design skills to work and finished up with furniture, paint, and all the fixings, completely transforming the whole building from top to bottom in less than two days.

Alice tried helping out as well, but each time she volunteered, her older brother made up some excuse to keep her at home and away from the host club. He still wasn't mentally prepared for the inevitable on-slot of questions from the employee's and was doing his upmost to put it off as long as he could. Alice was disconcerted at first, but didn't go looking for explanations from her tatted brother or sister. Theorizing afterwards that it was because Renji and Kikyo had enough help from the new staff with the cleanup. So instead, Alice kept herself busy working at _Visored Café_, walking the streets of San Francisco looking for inspirations, or typing in her creative writing room up until this point. 

As for appointments: all Kikyo had to do was ask Yoruichi and Byakuya to send whispers through their inner circles about her new and exciting business venture, and _Red Swan's _main phone hasn't stopped ringing since. The Latino was practically giddy when she announced to her housemates the other night that _The Red Swan _was booked solid for five straight months and more calls from needy, money soaked women were pouring in by the day!

Alice couldn't help but smile to herself when she recalled the thrilled expression on Kikyo's face, while the blonde was driving home from the luncheon.

Before the spring semester let out, San Francisco State University invited all advanced students within the English department to submit up to three pieces of literacy (ranging from poetry to short stories) for a chance to win one of many great prizes, including the two thousand dollar grand prize, courtesy of the college's president. Then two days prior, Alice received a call from the dean of the English department. Alice was among the 10 finalists still in the running for first place and because of that, she was invited to a private luncheon hosted by the literacy department staff. The only reason she was able to go was because Love thought Alice deserved some well needed time off from the café. And because he felt so generous, her boss said to not even think about coming in until that following Monday! While at the campus event, Alice met up with several students she was acquainted with and read her submitted works out loud to all in attendance alongside the other finalists.

The luncheon concluded around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, right after San Francisco's lunch rush was over. Which was a great relief for Alice, because that meant the roads weren't as congested. But along the way the young blonde stopped at Rocket Brother's drive through and ordered a large caramel Rocketccino to treat herself. Ten minutes later, Alice was parking her white 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Primer in the trio's driveway.

It was a particularly humid day, which made Alice wonder why she brought along her white, knee length, Burberry-knock-off coat with flap pockets along. But against her better judgment she did, since San Francisco State University was notorious for turning their party halls into freezers during campus gatherings. But underneath her wintery outer layer, Alice dressed coolly. A white, knee length, textured jacquard V-neck, sheath dress that had a zipper in the back, along with a pair of barely worn white Mary Jane heels with a rounded toe. Her 'carry on' bags consisted of her nicer, white cross body purse and an inexpensive, brown flax leather briefcase she keeps her written work in while on campus. The young writer didn't like stuffing her papers in a backpack; too liable of them getting wrinkled or torn.

Not surprisingly, Alice's Malibu was the only car in front of the house. Kikyo was estimated to be at _Senbonzakura _for a few more hours yet and as for Renji, he was at _The Red Swan_, combing through the inventory with the employee's and having a last minute staff meeting before tomorrow. So there was no telling how long he was going to be out. Needless to say, Alice expected to have the house to herself for the remainder of the afternoon.

Or so she thought.

Right as the baby blue eyed blonde was locking the front door behind her, her phone started ringing in her purse. She opened her bag up and extracted the device; in doing so discovered that the caller ID was from Kikyo.

"Hello?" Alice inquired, when the sizable IPhone was next to her ear.

'**Hey angel, it's me!**' Kikyo's voice called out clearly through the earpiece.

"Hi sis-sis! Are we still going dress shopping tonight when you get home?" Alice asked again in a kind tone, while she was making her way for the kitchen to sit her stuff down on the counter.

After discovering Alice didn't have a suitable dress that can be used as her 'uniform' while she was working at the host club, Kikyo decided that a shopping trip was in order. Plus the Latino also wanted to find something for herself to wear on _Red Swan's _opening night.

'**Unfortunately… no.**' Kikyo finally groaned. Alice practically heard her older sister pinching the bridge of her nose, '**An emergency came in from one of Byakuya's closest acquaintances this morning. Apparently a water pipe burst in this guy's basement where his extravagant man cave was and ruined EVERYTHING, insulation and all! So long story short; the guy wants an entire remodel and needs it done before his football watch party Saturday night. And because he's such an important client, Byakuya has asked for all available interior designers to stay late and draw up some design plans to pitch to him tomorrow.**'

"Oh no…!" Alice brawled, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

'**But good news is that Byakuya has promised that once the host club opens, he won't ask me to stay late anymore. Unless my experience on a project or with a particular client is needed.**' Kikyo informed and sounding very happy about it too, '**We'll **_**defiantly **_**do some window shopping first thing in the morning though! I can't wait to find you a cute dress to serve people in!**'

Alice giggled in response, "I'm excited about the opening too, I just wish I could've helped out more with the cleaning and all that."

'**Forget about it Alice. It's like Renji and I told you; each of those guys put in the same work ethic as two would have. If I wasn't needed to put the place together at the end, my presents there would have been utterly wasted!**'

Alice still smiled, despite there still being a little bit of guilt in her stomach. But if Kikyo said it was fine, then it was. So the young blonde knew she would be getting over it soon enough.

'**Oh, shit! I nearly forget about whole the reason I called! Alice, could you do me a **_**HUGE **_**favor?**' Kikyo suddenly panicked into her sister's ear, then proceeding to talk further before Alice could answer the Latino's question, '**I received a voicemail message from the City of San Francisco's legal department earlier and they told me that in order to get all the temporary licenses in time for tomorrow night, we need to fax in all the paperwork by 9 o'clock. That way we can still open and operate legally until we get the real ones in a couple months. And since there's zero chance of me getting out of here before the deadline, could you stop by **_**Red Swan **_**and skim through everything before you send them? I'd ask Renji to it since he's already there; but I can't get pineapple head to answer his damn phone!**'

"Yes of course I'll do it!" Alice answered automatically, bags already in hand, "I'll head over there right now."

While there wasn't a speck of hesitation in Alice's decision to accept Kikyo's aid request, she couldn't help but wonder if it was really okay to drop by _The Red Swan _unannounced while everyone was there. For the past few weeks, the young blonde suspected that Renji was keeping her away for a reason, as he was the main factor that kept her from going in the first place. In fact Alice hasn't stepped foot into _The Red Swan_ since renovations started! Alice thought about calling her brother herself, to make sure everything was fine and if she could come over. But then changed her mind about the idea a moment later. If Kikyo couldn't get ahold of Renji, she probably wouldn't be able to either if he was in the middle of something. And besides, this was an emergency and Renji would need a ride home later anyway. So what's the harm this one time?

'**Thank you so much angel, I owe you one! Oh, and before you leave the house! Go ahead and take those tablecloths that are sitting by the door to the host club with you. We can kill two birds with one stone and not have to mess with them tomorrow!**' Kikyo requested while Alice was shuffling back towards the door.

"Ok I'll grab them on the way out. I'll call you later when everything's gone through."

'**Alright Alice, you're the best! Bye!**'

The said younger sister ended the call before her hand was grasping the door handle.

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At the host club, the atmosphere was refreshing and charged to coincide with the new look. Unlike the furnishings of surrounding businesses, Kikyo wanted to break away from the industrial and mid-century modern that was currently taking over the workplaces and homes of San Francisco. The Latino fell in love with shabby chic while looking through well-known interior design websites from _Senbonzakura's _database. All the distressed wood and vintage elements that blended into this rustic style form was very laid back and casual, but if dressed right with bold notes of red, it could easily impress even the most conceded of clientele.

The u-shaped, high back booths, where the host and their 'dates' would sit and talk, started off along the north wall, while three spilled over to line the west wall. There were nine in total, meaning there was room for growth should the bosses want to add a couple more hosts later down the line; but for now only seven booths would be used while the two extras would be reserved for Renji and Kikyo if they wanted to observe from the sidelines and not up in the offices. The booths themselves were upholstered in cream leather with large buttons imbedded into the backrests, and the round wooden tables sitting inside each were coated in whitewash paint to add character. The only things done to the walls and the hard wood dance floor was basic painting/staining and waxing. Everywhere else was covered in a durable beige carpet that didn't have a lot of material on top. Not only was it easier to vacuum then conventional carpet, but people could still walk around without fear of tripping. Kikyo went with a nice glossy red with a touch of shine on three of the walls, excluding the east which had the exposed brick behind the bar. When it came to putting the finishing touches everywhere else, Kikyo had so much fun picking out vintage chandeliers, short cobalt bottles to put on top of the tables (nestled inside of the booths, finding the perfect white cotton curtains for the buildings plethora of windows) for flower vases, ordering flower arrangements, and hanging old photos of the San Francisco's skyline & paintings of garden scenes along the walls. Kikyo also saved a stunning black 2007 model D Steinway concert grand piano (with its matching bench) destined for the garbage bump and put it in the southwest corner of the host club, after getting it tuned and restored. Yet another form of entertainment for the guests should they want to indulge in a private concert. Not only that, but the Latino also found some cute things to decorate her and Renji's separate offices upstairs while shopping around! It never hurts to try new things every once and awhile.

"Gotta say Renji, your girl did a pretty good job with the place." Ichigo Kurosaki called out to the red head from where he stood in front of the bar, while his brown eyes look in the whole front room, "I would have never been able to pull all this off by myself."

"I have to say I agree." Another employee, Uryū Ishida, added from further away from the bar, but not quite near the middle of the room. His frameless spectacles catching the light when he adjusted them, "Shabby chic isn't normally my forte, but the way Kikyo did it is actually kind of neat. What do you think of it Grimmjow...? Grimmjow?"

The said construction friend must not have heard the question, as the man with the lightest blue hair of anyone around, was currently snoozing against the bar out of pure disinterest. His muscular form was propped up of course with his elbows resting comfortably atop the polished surface to allow his arms to hang over the edge, while his right foot crossed over his left in a nonchalant posture. The only reason Ichigo and Uryu knew Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was sleeping and not actually ignoring them, was because the taller man had his head tipped backwards and his eyes were closed. Not only that, but a faint snore leaked out from between the man's slightly opened mouth.

"Hey! Wake up asshole! We still have stuff to do here, remember!?"

Throughout the time it took to bellow out that reminder to his unbiased construction acquaintance, Ichigo punched the sleeping man hard in the gut, despite knowing what would come next. But in the short time of knowing the walking hard on, it was either that or a kick in the face. However it would be ill received whichever way.

"WHAT THE FUCK, KUROSAKI?!" The newly awakened Grimmjow growled in the passive strawberries direction. If his two cohorts didn't know him any better, the light blue haired man would have looked predatory from the way he was snarling and glaring daggers into Ichigo's face, "Didn't you see I was getting some shut eye!?"

"Yes I did see, you blue haired bastard." Ichigo answered, this time looking more sleazy and smug, two looks he knew full well pissed off Grimmjow the most, "I just couldn't help myself that's all."

"You punk ass, son of a-!"

"Will you two shut up already?!" Uryu shouted, thereby cutting off the thoroughly irritated Grimmjow before he could threaten Ichigo further, "You're acting like a couple of teenagers that haven't hit puberty yet!"

"**Butt out Uryu!**" Ichigo and Grimmjow yelled in the raven haired man's direction.

Ichigo Kurosaki, Uryū Ishida, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez have known Renji for about as long as he's worked in construction and all four are around the same age. Though Jaegerjaquez won out at age 28, while Kurosaki only turned 27 a few days ago. Renji, Ichigo and Grimmjow's interactions had always took on a more confrontational tone, from the moment they first met (as they were SO much alike). But eventually, the three men came to respect each other, before becoming buddies. Now they don't come to blows near as often or as violently as they used to. Uryu however was more level headed and easier to get along with from the start, no surprise there. Plus Renji already knew the raven haired man, as Uryu was present when the tatted older brother was hired on.

Ichigo and Renji have been mistaken for twins for years; since they were practically mirror images to each other despite having different physical features. Ichigo's for example are just as distinguishing and eye catching as the latters; the only difference is that they're a bit more on the subtle side. Ichigo's spiky orange hair was his most distinctive feature; and the trait that has given him nothing but trouble since he was a child. But as he grew into adolescence and eventually adulthood, that recessive trait on his mother's side, defiantly gave him a one up with the ladies. That, coupled with Ichigo's boy-next-door charm, peachy colored skin and brown eyes, he was a real treat when it came to eye candy. He was also fairly tall at 5'11½" and muscular, not quite at Renji's caliber, but close enough. However, the only times when anyone can actually see how toned Ichigo really was is if he walked around with no shirt on, and strawberry was too modest for that. Unless it was to go swimming or anything that had to do with the outdoors. Ichigo's personality on the other hand isn't as desirable, which is partially the reason why he hasn't been in a long term relationship since high school. That's because Ichigo was usually stubborn, short-tempered, strong-willed, and impulsive. Even though it isn't necessarily a con, strawberry can often times be a very outspoken person, hot-headed, and while he doesn't go looking for fights, if somebody picks a fight with him, Ichigo can't help but fight back. Not exactly a turn-on for a lot of girls. That being said, if someone manages to pull him away from an altercation, they can see that underneath all that primal tendencies, Ichigo is actually pretty mellow, and genuinely compassionate and empathetic towards others. Especially towards his friends and family. While Ichigo is required to wear a tuxedo for the host club opening (that going for all hosts), for now his taste in fashion is just as casual as the surrounding décor. An emerald, short sleeve polo shirt with a folded collar, dark blue denim pants and white Nike shoes with red accents. Other than the occasional necklace when he goes out, Ichigo didn't wear anything else when it came to accents or jewelry. So for now, his body was bare of either.

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez on the other hand was on the opposing side of the spectrum when compared to Ichigo's personality and looks. Despite both being undeniably attractive, Grimmjow is just a hair more smoldering on the hotness scale, easily outranking strawberry and Uryu combined! Grimmjow's slicked back, light blue hair makes women think he used gel of some kind, like the actors from the movie _Grease_. However, even to this day, his buddies still don't believe him when the man swears it's natural. His light blue eyes were equally as piercing, especially when someone was staring into them.Grimmjow was also extremely tall at 6'1", which further highlights his sun kissed skin and muscular physic. Because of those bodily features and an overly confident persona, he's been in _**many**_ relationships. However that term should be used a bit loosely when talking about Grimmjow, since his whole definition of male-and-female interactions involve a bed and a dark room somewhere in the equation. Needless to say, a large percentage of Grimmjow's 'girlfriends' were actually mere one night stands after smooth talking their panties off, then bouncing before dawn and never talking to the girl again. This mind set was what made Renji think twice about hiring him as a _Red Swan _host. But even though lust is always lurking inside the man's dirty mind, Grimmjow is actually a fairly laid-back individual, if you can look past his brutal, impulsive, and excessively violent personality alongside a lethally short temper if someone happen to rub him the wrong way. In addition, he can be blunt and sarcastic, which is shown in brilliant form when Grimmjow lets forth one of his famous unnerving, psychotic grins. Sure, he may come off as a world class prick with no regards to authority, but somehow Grimmjow still possesses a certain degree of principles and makes it a practice to _**never**_ harm women. Vocally or physically. No matter how fleeting each encounter may be. That (in the Latino bosses mind at least) was a redeeming quality for the light blue haired womanizer. Grimmjow's current outfit however still comes off as a rebel in style, regardless of whatever angle you were looking at him. A one-size-too-big, black cotton wife beater shirt that was so ripped the armpit portions were virtually none existent (thereby allowing him to purposely show off the entirety of his rippling side muscles), denim pants (with holes along the front) that hung low on his hips, a silver chain link belt, and black converse. Like Ichigo, Grimmjow didn't wear much in the way of jewelry; but when he did a simple, silver chain choker necklace was his go-to accessory of choice.

Lastly is Uryū Ishida and he's completely different from Renji, Ichigo, and Grimmjow. For starters, the 5'9½" tall man is generally quiet and solitary, but when people are around Uryu tries to act cooler as a way of making him appear more down to earth. In some ways though he can come off as a bit unapproachable, because Uryu isn't much of a social butterfly and has different interests then other young men his age. That doesn't make him any less desirable however, with his slender build body, raven black hair with long bangs covering the right side of his face, fair skin tone, and bold blue eyes behind frameless glasses gives off a mildly nerdy, yet polished appearance. Women have always liked smarter, good-looking men, and Uryu checked off all the boxes the moment he walked through the doors of _The Red Swan_. Although, his likes and dislikes are a bit surprising. For starters Uryu loves sewing and needlework; making new cloths or repairing any for his friends and neighbors is one of Uryu's favorite pastimes. Uryu also likes paranormal TV shows (because he finds them fascinating) and checking out medical books from the local library. But on the flipside, he hates procrastination, buttons (even though he is quite skilled at sewing in general), and the word "haphazard." Only because Uyru refuses to believe that it's an actual word in the English dictionary. During his everyday life, Uryū operates on a moral ethic and has a strong sense of justice. Especially against men whom abuse or treat women badly; Ichigo and Grimmjow still remember the day Uryu damn near broke a guy's arm after he caught the assailant in the mist of punching his lady friend in broad daylight. Needless to say Uryu is a very honest, truehearted, and very real individual which is showcased in his attire. A white, short sleeve, button down linen shirt which were neatly tucked inside his khaki pants, a brown leather belt with a silver buckle, and navy Tom sneakers with white shoe laces. Uryu also wore a navy blazer when he arrived at _The Red Swan_, but for now it was hung up in his locker until the master tailor went home. The only piece of jewelry he consistently wears is a silver chain around his right wrist, attached is a decent sized, cross-like charm with a small blue stone at it center. Only this time, Uryu chose to leave the family heirloom at home since he was going to be doing manual labor that day.

Returning to the present, only a little further way from the three squabbling men this time, Renji was standing next to the buildings double glass doors with _Red Swan's _newly hired, scary-as-hell bouncer, Kenpachi Zaraki. The red headed brother had been going over appointment procedures with the bouncer in the exact way Kikyo relayed to her man last night.

"Sorry if this is a lot to take in Kenpachi." Renji said, almond shape eyes downward as he flipping through the detailed list of clients for tomorrow night's opening on the white wash stand before him, "Kikyo may repeat all of it better than I did when you get here tomorrow, but she tends to talk fast when she gets in a rush."

The said bouncer merely grinning widely back, revealing his pointy canines to his new boss, "Naw, I got it. Thanks. But to be honest I'm a bit more enthralled by the cage match waiting to happen over there. Need me to go over and break it up?" Kenpachi asked, his one good beady eye (the one that wasn't covered in an eye patch) locked on to the strawberry and blueberry continuing to swap insults at each other.

At that observation, Renji finally turned his attention around and was immediately met with a familiar sight, which actually made the tatted man groan in annoyance under his breath.

"Don't waste your energy on those two Kenpachi." The boss man finally stated out loud, "If both end up with a black eye later, then it's only because they had it coming."

To Renji's surprise, Kenpachi threw his head back at the response, laughing in genuine glee. His laughter sounding like grinding rocks at best.

"Gotta love logic like that! I think I'm going to enjoy working here after all!" Kenpachi stated, while his grin remained as broad and maniacal as ever.

Instead of being intimidated by the bouncer like he initially thought, Renji merely smirked up at the man after hearing his statement. Though it had a serious undertone about it.

"Don't get too wild there Zaraki." The tatted brother warned up to the man three times his height and weight, "Remember this isn't like other places you've worked at, Kikyo and I want evenings to stay civil at all times. So you can't go all out every time an issue walks through the door."

"I haven't forgotten that detail boss." Kenpachi responded, the previously wild look in his single eye disappeared in a nanosecond to be replaced with a more humane one, "And it won't be a problem either. That's why I took this job. I needed a change of scenery."

Renji's expression cooled at that explanation before nodding in understanding. The red head has never been a bouncer; in fact that was the one job he avoided like the plague. Renji could have made a good one, with his aggressive demeanor and muscular stature, but at the end of the day he had no interests in the occupational hazards that came along with it. Especially when Renji had two special ladies waiting at home for him. That's why the new boss had nothing but respect for Kenpachi, as he's literally made a living doing this line of work for longer than Renji and Kikyo have been alive.

"I just need to check with Shuhei and Kensei about the stash in the back, then we'll get this meeting over and done with so we can all go home." Renji informed the bouncer, while thrusting his thumb over his shoulder towards the bar. Where the two said men were shuffling between restocking and organizing their workstation.

Now that all the fundamental components of a working bar have been installed and were properly working, all that was left to do was get everything set up for tomorrow night. Which is what the newly hired bartenders, Shuhei Hisagi and Kensei Muguruma, have been doing painstakingly for the past couple of days. Not including the extra time earlier that morning familiarizing themselves with the set-up.

Without another word to Kenpachi, Renji turned and walked over to the two preoccupied bartenders. But once the red head was standing in front of the bar, both Shuhei and Kensei paused what they were doing and stood up to give their new boss their full attention.

"How's everything coming along over here Kensei?" Renji asked, directing his question to the older bartender since he was chosen to be the bar manager by Kikyo, "Do we need to order anything else?"

"No. everything we were needing is already here." Kensei answered, his tone and posture unintentionally showing off his years in the military, "Kikyo's done a good job in that department. Shuhei and I are just double checking the machines right now. Once we fetch the bottles from the back, we'll put them on the shelves here in the front and finish up."

"Will you need a hand?" Renji offered.

"If you wouldn't mine sir." The older, grey haired man said, secretly impressed that Renji would do so. Though it didn't show on his neutral face, "Miss Bellflower picked out quite the variety of alcohol for tomorrow night; both in quality and quantity."

"I figured as much." The red headed brother murmured, more to himself and not the two bartenders in front of him, "Kikyo has never been a 'half-assed' type of girl."

"Your just telling us this now?" The other bartender, Shuhei, piped up. The black haired man smiling in a wisecracking way, however Shuhei was nowhere near to that of a class clown. In fact, he possess more maturity then a lot of the younger gentlemen currently in the room, "That would have been nice to know beforehand; like _before_ the boss lady handed me the longest list of booze I've seen in my whole life! It wasn't easy arranging all those deliveries in a three day window you know!"

"You got it done, didn't you Hisagi?" Kensei proceeded to sternly ask his fellow bartender, he was never the joking type and he certainly wasn't going to start now, "So quit complaining like a damn pansy and move on already!"

"Ok! Ok! I got the message, Captain." Shuhei stated with a smaller smile and a shrug, using his partners former military title in a good natured way. Then directing his attention back to his boss, "But yeah, a little help on the boxes would be great. Thanks Renji."

The said red head merely nodded in confirmation, along with a wholehearted smile of his own. _Baby girl really knows how to pick 'em. _Renji thought, despite the older brother getting anxiety deep within in the pit of his stomach from the way it sounded, _I can already tell these three are going to be great from where hard work is concerned._

Unlike most of the other hosts, Kenpachi Zaraki, Kensei Muguruma, and Shūhei Hisagi, didn't have any previous ties to Renji before _The Red Swan's_ job positions were opened. However Ichigo knew Shuhei from high school, back when they were both still living in Japan. They may had made friendly hallway chat back then, but they never became closer than that and they certainly didn't leave their home country together. In fact Ichigo and Shuhei came to the states for personal reasons; only reconnecting some years later in San Francisco. Kenpachi and Kensei on the other hand were both a bit of a mystery. While it was true that Kenpachi had been doing this kind of security work for a long time and Kensei was very much a retired U.S. Marines Captain (whom was given full military honors when he was discharged), not much else was known about their personal lives or what they did before migrating to California. However Kikyo and Renji didn't care about those details; as long as the two men weren't convicts of any serious crimes they were up for consideration. Ultimately, both Kenpachi and Kensei passed with flying colors when their records were looked over by the host clubs new female owner.

For starters, Kenpachi Zaraki was a _**mountain**_ of a man, standing at 6'7½" and weighing close to 200 pounds. His tanned body appeared to be made up of pure muscle; not an ounce of fat was anywhere on him. Which was a shocking sight to behold when it was revealed Kenpachi was in his late 40's. If his monumental stature and harsh demeanor didn't come off as ominous for any would-be trouble makers, then his appearance defiantly would. Kenpachi's longer-then-average face was made of nothing but sharp angles, his cheekbones and hairless brow ridges were especially pronounced. His past-the-shoulder length, black hair had a bit of an oily shine to it, but that was only because Kenpachi didn't wash his hair as often as he should. Not to mention the long, and apparently deep scar that runs from his hairline to the bottom of his jaw. During the interview, Kikyo thought it was a bit odd that Kenpachi would cover his right dark brown eye (which bordered on black) with an eye patch and not the other. Since the scar ran right over it and it was improbable to think that the bouncer's eyesight in that one eye wasn't damaged in anyway. Astonishingly for the couple, Kenpachi had a signed document from a practicing ophthalmologist when he came, verifying that his left eye was perfectly fine as well as his right. When Renji gathered enough courage to openly ask about it, the bouncer further explained that he only wore an eye patch over his right eye so it didn't cover up his scar. Stating that the marred skin was easy to irritate. In truth however, Kenpachi left it visible as a personal reminder, regardless of how heartbreaking the event was. His personality was much like his appearance, although in other ways he is far more complex than first believed. Something that only a few important people close to the bouncer has ever seen. Despite being known for his violent fighting style by his previous employers, Kenpachi's actions tend to be for the best. The man may live for the thrill of brutal matches, and enjoys a good fight more than anything, even holding back in an effort to make fights last longer. But unlike most violent individuals, Kenpachi has enough restraint and sense to recognize when enough is enough, without someone else's having to step in and rein him in that way. One example of this being when his opponent is too injured to fight back, to which Kenpachi would claim that he is not interested in fighting 'weaklings who can't fight anymore'. _The Red Swan's _new bouncer may not be incredibly handsome or have another kind of appeal like the hosts, Kenpachi still cleaned up well and was an honest person who's willing to put in the effort. His plain, untucked white t-shirt and dark denim pants he was currently wearing, made it apparent that Kenpachi was ready to get dirty. He also wore a thick leather belt around his waist and a pair of heavy, black biker boots with steel toes. The only 'accessories' Kenpachi ever wore was when he was riding on his 2011, Harley-Davidson softtail motorcycle; coming in the form of leather vests, leather chaps, and even the occasional bandana he wore around his face. But since he wasn't on the open road today; what you see is what you get.

Kensei Muguruma was the walking embodiment of a retired captain. One look in his direction would be enough for anyone to recognize that this mid to late, 30-something year old man was ex-military. While Kensei had a strong and muscular body, he's 5'10½" tall form was stockier in built when compared to his bouncer co-worker. But unlike Kenpachi, Kensei's sharp facial features weren't near as severe, instead they were more chiseled, further setting him apart with his new breed of handsome amidst _The Red Swan _crew. His brown eyes and lightly tanned skin were also nice features, not to mention Kensei's short, light grey hair that had longer bangs which hung over his face (giving off the impression that it was an overgrow buzz cut). It was also hinted in his paperwork that the older bartender also had a tattoo; however not even a flirtatious talking Kikyo wasn't able to get him to tell her where it was located. Not that she really wanted to know, but it was really to test how shrewd Kensei was with repelling a woman advances in a professional manner. Needless to say the Latino was greatly dazzled by the former captain's effortless verbal tactics when Kensei quickly caught on to what she was doing. But even though Kensei was skillful and pleasant when it came to talking to women, the same _cannot _be said about his personality! A serious and decisive individual, Kensei is easily annoyed and rather temperamental, often to a fault. When he was younger and still at the academy, it was especially bad, getting him into hot water with superiors almost on a daily bases. Most frequently it was when Kensei got stuck with a partner on practice drills that graded his nerves. Making Kensei the older version of Grimmjow is some ways. But as Kensei rose through the military's ranks and proved to be a capable marine along the way, he eventually found a way to keep his attitude in check, but every now-and-then it still flares up. Most commonly when faced with immaturity. That was the one thing he's never been able to overcome. Which was why he chose to apply for a bartender position and not a bouncer; since it was more therapeutic for him and he wouldn't get sucked into pointless female altercations near as often. Despite this, Kensei is at times a caring individual, though his attempts at being kind are often offset by his aggression. Thankfully that only happens during tense situations; the rest of the time Kensei is actually a fairly sweet man. That aside, Kensei's road into civilian life had been bumpy, seeing as he didn't have family or a significant other to return to. But it wasn't all dark times for the former captain, as he'd become quite a skillful mixologist when he practiced it at home, only started doing it professionally a few years ago. Some things never change however as Kensei still retained a lot of military decorum from his days as a captain, namely in fashion. Right now Kensei could have been ready for a survival excursion in the wilderness and not bartending; because his dark purple tank top with white trimming, green cargo pants, a thin white belt, black combat boots, and a pair of orange fingerless gloves certainly fit the bill. Plus regardless of his military background, Kensei wasn't above wearing jewelry, his most prominent accessories are his series of interesting piercings. There were four altogether and all were identical, small gold hoops: one on his left eyebrow and three on his left ear.

The younger bartender, Shūhei Hisagi, would have been just as great of a host as he will a barkeeper if all available entertainer positions weren't already taken. That was because Kikyo secretly found Shuhei's stereotypical 'bad boy' appearance to be very attractive, going so far as to think that he was on par with her boyfriend Renji! But just like the said red headed brother, Shuhei was nothing like that in attitude, despite his outwardly looks painting him in a totally different light. His knowledge and creativity with drinks were hard to pass up. Much like Uryu, the 5'11½" tall Shuhei was a lean-built man with narrow shaped dark grey eyes, short black hair and a darker skin tone. Kenpachi wasn't the only member of _The Red Swan _group to have a facial scar, in fact Shuhei had three parallel straight lines on the right side of his face in plain sight. But even though they weren't as jagged in cut as the bouncers scar, Shuhei's were still deep enough to leave behind permanent damage. Thankfully the incident happened long enough ago to not hinder Shuhei's eyesight in anyway and would continue to not be a problem. In addition to the shocking scars on one side of his face, the younger bartender was bold enough to get a tattoo done on the opposing side, right there on his upper left cheek! Curiously the tattoo was the number "69", which automatically made Renji think that it was of something _**very **_suggestive as well as sexual during the interview. Luckily Shuhei smoothed over any misunderstandings by explaining that it was actually in reference to the year 1969 and that it was a memoriam piece. But wouldn't go any further than that. Because unbeknownst to the couple, Shuhei would have gotten more emotional about it. That aside, his personality is what makes him stand out from the other youngbloods within _The Red Swan_. For starters, Shuhei is extremely mature, proving to be much calmer in temperament then either Ichigo or Grimmjow. However, unlike the typically quiet Uryu, Shuhei does have a sense of humor. He isn't a jokester however, as you can't joke your way through life like most other 27-year-olds do. That was why he and Ichigo got along so well when they were in high school together; despite Shuhei having a leveler head on his shoulders then the strawberry. A state that is slightly at odds with his somewhat punk-like appearance. Regardless of all that, Shuhei was fairly popular with the ladies himself. What with his charismatic charm, his tattoo and overall physical appeal, Shuhei was regarded as a real hunk. It didn't hurt the said piece of eye candy's fashion kept the 'tall, dark, and handsome' theme going. A stung fitting, sleeve-less black t-shirt with a twin scythe emblem on the back, light grey drawstring pants with white around the waistline, plus black and white Nike shoes (similar in style to the ones Ichigo was wearing). His accessories on the other hand were a bit odd, as Shuhei wasn't conventional when it came to jewelry compared to other men. In fact the ones he had on were interesting to say the least. All three pieces were ladder in design, a black nylon choker necklace which hugged high on his throat, as well as slimmer ones that were worn on the upper portions of both arms. Shuhei also has his ears pierced, but was informed that he would be unable to wear his tastes in earrings upon being hired at _The Red Swan_. So for now his earlobes were bare.

Aside from Renji's construction friends, the bouncer, and two bartenders, there were four other individuals of the host clubs crew that has yet to be acknowledged. Though Renji wasn't planning on going over to talk with them, since Sōsuke, Gin, Kaname and Jūshirō already knew their responsibilities as the 'older' host's weeks ago. Like Ichigo, Grimmjow, and Uryu, they were mingling amongst themselves until the meeting was underway. That wasn't much of a surprise, since they were colleagues and have known each other for longer. All four college professors were sitting together in one of the booths closest to the bar, each enjoying a freshly brewed cup of black tea like it was an everyday thing. In fact, they had these kinds of chats around mid-day when classes were in session every semester. Not really to discuss anything of great importance, but mostly to partake in intellectual conversations.

"This new position is certainly going to be an interesting endeavor, wouldn't you say Sosuke?" Gin crooned to the so called 'leader' of their little group. Though his eyes were no more than slits, the supposed fox-face of the professors was looking directly in the said man's direction a crossed from him, "I've known you to be quite intrigued with the way women think, but I've never dreamed you would be so hands on in your observations that something like this would actually appeal to you!"

"Gin, you make it sound like we're doing this to treat everyone as nothing more than lab rats." Jushiro stated, his tone low in disapproval. Even putting his porcelain cup down so he could look squarely in his colleagues face from where he sat to the right of Gin, "San Francisco State is low on funding and had to cut much of the staffs pay around February. Since there isn't any sign of things getting better; it was either quit or get a second job. And you of all people know I can't find another teaching position anywhere else at my age."

"He's right Gin, don't make our intentions seem so malicious." Kaname added into the rim of his cup, his eyes completely covered by his dark tinted sunglasses, "If it wasn't for Aizen's keen detective skills, then we never would have known that _The Red Swan _even existed or that they were in need of hosts. Plus our new bosses have proven to be capable and the other employee's seem civil enough; so I think our time spent here will be worthwhile."

"Awww, there's no reason get so defensive!" Gin continued in his mockingly cheerful tone, his wide creepy smile never losing its prudency when addressing his two colleagues, "I was merely pointing out that Sosuke enjoys prodding into the minds of others more than doing fieldwork. Isn't that right Sosuke?"

Up until now, the man in question was quietly sipping his tea in complete silence. It never ceases to amaze him how easily Gin can get under someone skin without putting any real effort into it. It could be labeled as aggravating if Sosuke didn't also find it fascinating. He almost felt guilty that he purposely used their tea time to observe this phenomenon… _almost_.

Sosuke had to keep himself from smiling darkly at that last thought, so instead he redirected his attention towards the current discussion.

"True applying for this job was a bit uncharacteristic of me; considering I people watch more than I do experimenting the conventional way." Sosuke started off, his velvety smooth voice giving away nothing. As it always does. "However, Jushiro and Kaname are correct to assume I kept our circumstances at the university in mind. With the way things are going, we may start seeing layoffs around the campus if things don't start taking a turn for the better. For now however… let's take pleasure in our newfound duties, which is taking away the loneliness that afflicts every women's heart. I admit it will be hard parting ways from the ones who's peaked my interest."

Despite a certain baby blue eyed women being enrolled at the same college where they taught, the four professors were unaware of her very existence. So it goes without saying that Sōsuke Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, Kaname Tōsen, and Jūshirō Ukitake didn't find out about the host positions through her. In fact they only heard about the host club, _The Red Swan_,through exchanges between several students since the start of the summer. Call it curiosity or a longing for more female interactions besides overly thirsty female students and co-workers, Sosuke ultimately proceeded to investigate the claims and even surprised himself when he picked up a few copies of applications for host positions for himself and his three cohorts.

Speaking of Sōsuke Aizen, he's a psychology professor at San Francisco State University, and was quite the educated and brilliant minded man. However, it was hard to think of him as anything other than the 'undercover lover' type when the sun goes down. Because he was so good looking for a man in his late 30's and standing at 6'1" tall. It took everyone by surprise when Sosuke admitted to his marital status being single (same being for all the professors). Most of all to Kikyo, whom couldn't stop drooling in her supposed hypnotic state while talking to him. How could a guy that gorgeous NOT have a ring on his finger? It was hard to even fathom! In fact, the new Latino boss even had to be snapped out of it a couple times by Renji during the interview when he felt Kikyo was becoming too engrossed in Sosuke's presents. Renji himself even felt a little threated by the smooth talking gentlemen as he sat in the host clubs office; this was the type of guy who could steal a girl right out from underneath a mans bed sheets without even trying. Thankfully for the tatted boss man, his assumptions about Sosuke were unfounded. Sort of. San Francisco State's most highly decorated psychology professor wasn't at all surprised to see Kikyo reacting the way she did while interacting with him. As it was a common occurrence and why wouldn't it be? With his lightly tanned skin, chocolate brown eyes and equally chocolate, swept back hair, it only made him look more irresistible and god-like to the fairer population. Even the single thick strand of hair, which hung in between his eyes, enhanced his allure. Truth-be-told Sosuke finds women's fascination with him to be amusing, which partners well with his mildly manipulative personality when regarding to females in general. He doesn't think of them as pawns or play things mind you, in fact it's assisted him in avoiding and getting out of relationships more times than he can recollect. However Sosuke's whole negative experience with female figures in his earlier life could have something to do with his resentful mind-set towards them now. But he's mastered at not expressing it openly as he grew up, instead hiding that dark vehemence underneath a polite, and seemingly gentle exterior. Despite everything however, Sosuke still fancy's the company of a women and being able to interact with one without the risk of getting too close emotionally, was the cherry on top of the sundae. Looking at him now, one wouldn't have believed Sosuke did serious grunt work during the renovation process weeks ago. Because he looked clean, pressed, and perfectly prepared to go in and speak in front of dozens of students in a lecture hall. His current attire consisted of a white, long sleeved dress shirt with a single cuff; of which was neatly tucked into his black dress pants. His look also included a black leather belt with a silver buckle, black socks and black lace up oxford shoes. For accessories, Sosuke seemed to take a cue from Szayel in that department. Because a maroon chiffon scarf was completely wrapped around his neck and must have been longer then a normal one, since its reach went half way down his shoulders.

The professor's resident wildcard, Gin Ichimaru, while defiantly resourceful and brilliant when it comes to cellular biology and anatomical sciences, was a very cryptic individual. Since his constant smile and naturally slitted, sky blue eyes, combined with his heavy use of sarcasm and mocking politeness (when talking to someone he isn't particularly interested in outside of the classroom), makes it very challenging for someone to figure out what he was thinking. The only times when his fox-like expression changes even the slightest or is wiped off entirely is when he's annoyed, surprised, confused, or sad. Though even those instances are few and far between. Regardless, Gin was still somewhat good-looking with his slim physic and neat cap of silver hair, all the while standing at 6'1". Unlike most women, whom actually find Gin's mysterious demeanor to be unusually enticing, most of his students and even a few instructor coworkers at San Francisco State find his outwardly 'skeletal' appearance to be rather unsettling. In fact Sosuke, Kaname, and Jushiro were among the few who were actually willing to even talk to him, because the rest of the time Gin doesn't exactly paint himself he be a very trustworthy individual. Of which Gin is fully aware of. Sometimes he even uses that to his advantage when he wants to know something that could be seen as trivial to some. Who says foxes can't be curious? That polite, yet indirect tactic was how Gin was able to figure out that Renji and Kikyo may have had a third sibling; a sister he was able to gather. But unfortunately wasn't able to pry out anything more, not even a name. The red headed boss was especially stubborn in keeping his lips closed in regards to the inquisitive new host. That meant this 'other women' was very special to Renji. Gin's briefly mentioned this juicy piece of information to Sosuke of course, but has otherwise kept it to himself. As he's not one for gossip, if you can believe that! Gin may come off as a nosey, mischievous man, but in reality he's actually a regular functioning person if they can get him in a normal setting. For one he loved dried persimmons: has ever since he was a child. That love is what drove him to plant a giant persimmons tree in the backyard of his home; so he could make the dried persimmons himself during warmer seasons before distributing them to his neighbors. In addition, when he has free time while on campus, Gin enjoys walks on bright, sunny days and while he doesn't have any conventional hobbies, people-watching has been admitted once. This interesting class of features, both external and internal, was cloaked just as refindly as Sosuke. Gin's creamy colored, long sleeved dress shirt with a folded collar, which were tucked into ironed khaki pants, were only further extenuated by his light brown socks and brown cap toed, lace up leather shoes. He even possessed a light blue cardigan on his person; however it was worn the unconventional way. The body of the knitted piece of clothing laid flat against his back, while the sleeves were tied loosely around his neck.

Kaname Tōsen on the other hand, was regarded as the 'boy scout' amidst the four professors. A label given to him by Gin the moment they first met. With a very authoritative mindset about him and believing in not cutting corners in anything one does, no one but Kaname could have been a better choice to oversee the student newspaper board, after successfully filling in the previously vacant journalism instructor seat within San Francisco State. But despite being a stickler for proper etiquette and abiding by the rules, Kaname was still a well-rounded renaissance man whom possesses the magic touch when it comes to the ladies. But in comparison to Grimmjow, Kaname was nowhere near as aggressive or dirty in that department. In fact, his approach when talking to a woman was softer and more perceptive. Which was a great thing for a man to possess when he was born without the ability to see. Kaname was still a handsome specimen though; with his dark chocolate skin tone, long dark purple deadlocks (with four, perfectly placed, orange wooden beads woven into his hair on either side of his face) and pupil-less, pale lavender eyes. However, not many have seen them as they're always obscured by the dark sunglasses Kaname wears, even inside. Though Kaname was well in his 30's like the other three professors, he's actually the youngest among the four age-wise at 37. He could have been mistaken for being as young as Renji if he didn't possess the decorum that only came from a matured adult. Kaname may be completely blind, but he could get around a spacious campus better than someone with two functioning eyes could. Which has catered the respect and appreciation by many students and faculty, especially of the female variety. Because of his 'disability', Kaname typically interacted with people using his other senses, which was a delightful experience in Kikyo's case during the man's interview. However, Kaname's methods weren't as well received by Renji as the protective boyfriend observed the exchange closely. But he never lashed out like Kikyo actually thought he would, as Kaname's methods were all harmless when executed. His favorite (and only) hobby was cooking. When he had days off from teaching in the lecture halls, you could always find Kaname in his home kitchen experimenting with new, homemade and more sophisticated recipes. His most partial dish was scratch made chicken noddle soap; a recipe once featured in his popular weekly cooking article. For now, since Kaname wasn't hanging around his house, he was dressed fairly similar in style to Sosuke and Gin. However, the sleeves of his dark purple dress shirt were rolled up to above his elbows, while the white pearly buttons popped against the darker color. The cotton shirt was tucked in of course; his tailored light khaki pants paired well with both the shirt, the brown leather belt with a brass buckle, his black socks and his brown leather slip-on, square toed shoes. Kaname also wore a long, orange rope-like scarf, worn loosely around his neck. He was mindful to never go out without his red-and-white striped walking stick either; of which was perched on the booth next to him.

While the award for the youngest professor would go to Kaname, Jūshirō Ukitake was defiantly the eldest after turning 41 last year. However he doesn't _look _old in the slightest! Many of the female coworkers he has worked with the longest at San Francisco State has confessed that Jushrio's aged like a fine wine; even the playful glint that dances in the background of his deep green eyes shows that he was still young at heart. Unfortunately his early years weren't so happy, because he was plagued with many health problems upon his second birthday. One such illness was an unnamed lung disease which caused him to cough up blood for a time and turn his natural hair color completely white over a three-day period. Which explained why his eyebrows and eyelashes were still black. But thanks to his family's wealth to continue his treatments, Jushrio was completely cured of any and everything by the age of 13. He may still be a bit thinner than most adults his age, but the 6'1½" tall Jushrio wasn't near anorexic and even had a little bit of muscle definition on his chest and upper arms. His ivory skin, deep green eyes, and waist length snow white hair (pulled back into a low pony tail) with side-swept bangs, gives Jushrio an almost ethereal appearance. Kikyo even thought he was awe inspiring when he entered the upstairs office. Defiantly an unexpected heartthrob in _The Red Swan's _colorful collection of hosts. He was also a shrewd man when it came to the fundamentals of a business. Having a masters in business administration (along with a minors in accounting) would be a great asset for anyone. Because of his approachable demeanor and kind personality, Jushrio is regarded as _**the**_ instructor to take if students wanted to pursue a business or finance-type of major. Another aspect to Jushrio's personality is his playfulness. Because much of his childhood was spent recuperating in a hospital bed, Jushrio makes up for lost time by having an everyday whimsical attitude about him. That doesn't mean he's immature about it; he just doesn't think being serious all the time is healthy for someone of his age. In his spare time Jushiro enjoys feeding and taking care of his personal koi pond in his front yard, as well as trimming his bonsai plants around the perimeter of his home. Though his lack of artistic sense can be a bit apparent in that area. Jushiro also likes to visit the children in the pediatric ward of the very hospital he himself took treatments in many years ago; to pass out candy and play fun games with those who were physically able. For now however, Jushiro's attire told everyone present that he was indeed a college professor, but with more of a cheerful undertone then Sosuke's, Gin's, or Kaname's clothes. A crisp white, long sleeve dress shirt with magenta polka dots splotched at random, tucked into inky black dress pants. A black leather belt with a silver buckle was synched into the belt loops, along with a magenta tie with intricate paisley designs around his neck. On his feet were thin black socks and black leather oxford shoes with a pointed toe. Jushiro wore a cardigan as well, but unlike Gin, the white fuzzy piece of clothing was worn over his dress shirt and tie.

The soft murmurs of quiet conversations continued to fill the air, keeping silence from ever really settling in. That is until an ear piecing whistle split the peace in two. But it did what it was supposed to; get everyone to quiet down and look over at Renji's whom was at the far end of the bar.

"Alright gentlemen, listen up!" Renji shouted, not in an incredibly loud voice since everyone in question was in a close proximity. But the pitch was elevated enough to where all the employees could hear everything from wherever they were, "Kensei, Shuhei and I are gonna carry in a few things from the back for the bar. Once that's done we'll move on and go over a few work details for tomorrow."

The red headed boss caught a few nods and couple grunts in understanding, before turning and following the two said bartenders into the backroom. Leaving Ichigo, Grimmjow, Uryu, Kenpachi, Sosuke, Gin, Kaname, and Jushiro to their own accord a few moments longer.

But unbeknownst to Renji and everyone else in attendance, they were to about to be given a surprise visit. Because in the exact moment the tatted boss withdrew from view, a familiar baby blue eyed woman had already pulled in and was putting her Malibu in park. In the minutes it took for Alice to gather up everything she wanted to carry inside from the backseats: Ichigo and 'company' had made their way over to the senior members of the host employee's and were actually striking up a conversation. As for Kenpachi, he was absent mindedly listening in from the sidelines near the dance floor. He wasn't much of a talker anyway.

"I have to be honest; the butterflies in my stomach are starting to take over." Jushiro admitted to everyone at the table, the eldest host actually looking at bit sheepish as he did so, "I mean, being among the first trail blazers in this line of work is exciting. But I can't help but feel my insides knotting up from the anxiety of it all."

"Relax Jushiro. This is new for all of us as well, remember?" Uryu reminded the business professor, his calming tone matching the expression on his face. That is until he ever so slightly glanced in blueberries direction, "Though one of us may be excited about it for a whole other reason…"

"Oh go shove it up your ass, four-eyes!" Grimmjow raved, assuming he knew what Uryu was insinuating, "Besides, Renji and his hot girlfriend have already gotten on my case about being on my best behavior while I'm on the clock. So I don't need any more of your snarky imputes!"

"Put your claws away Grimmjow…" The raven haired host drawled, pushing on the bridge of his glasses while doing so, "I wasn't talking about your never ending need for intercourse. Actually, it doesn't have anything to do with you."

"Then what were you getting at Uryu?" Ichigo questioned his friend coolly, his brown eyes giving the book smart male his undivided attention.

"Well for starters-"

The noisy 'shink' of the newly installed lock being unbolted and the faint jangling of keys were enough to not only cut Uryu off, but also instantly draw in the attention of every pair of eyes in the room, towards the direction of the front door. They continued to stare wordlessly as an unidentified individual carefully, yet gracefully walk in with a high stack of folded white tablecloths atop both arms, as well as two bags. One being recognized as a briefcase. Obviously they couldn't see the young ladies face; as the table linens obscured it from view. The only reason the men present knew that the visitor was a woman was because of her exposed legs: they were long and lean, and far too smooth to belong to anyone _but_ a woman!

"Sorry sweetheart!" Ichigo (whom recovered his voice the fastest) exclaimed in the silkiest tone possible, while swiftly making his way over to the unnamed girl before she was a quarter of the ways down the length of the bar counter, "I hate to turn any lady away, but I'm afraid we don't open until tomorrow night. Do you have a date set up already?"

"Oh! I'm not a customer!" The woman explained politely as she eventually came to a stop in front of the orange haired man.

The softness of the woman's tone instantly made Ichigo pause; he's never heard a sweeter sounding voice like hers before. And this strawberry has heard many in his young life. The following seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. Because it was in that time span that the unidentified female finally lowered the tablecloths in her arms, enabling Ichigo to gaze upon her face for the first time. As well as her crystal clear baby blues.

_Holy… She's… _Ichigo instantaneously thought, his brown eyes gradually widening evermore. Even a pale pink blush bloomed forth on his cheeks as he continued to openly gawk at the visitor.

"Wow…"

"Hm?" The girl blinked in confusion, "What was that?"

Ichigo didn't realize that he actually uttered that out loud until the women spoke, immediately snapping the orange haired man out of his dreamy stupor. But before he could gather his thoughts or even explain himself to the pretty blond, Grimmjow and Uryu were already making their way behind him.

"Hey Kurosaki! Why the hell are you just standing there like a-" Grimmjow shouted at his friend, having no idea what was making him act like this. That is until his intense blue eyes too came to rest on the woman's face over the strawberries left shoulder. Then it was like a light switch flipped on; his severe frown morphing into a broad, boarder-lining lecherous grin. Even his voice took on a huskier tone, "Well, well, well… what do we have here?"

The unnamed woman on the other hand didn't answer the blueberries mildly lewd question. Nor did she give any indication that she was uncomfortable or intimidated by either of the taller men. Instead, the blond merely smiled in the same friendly, yet casual manner as when her baby blue eyes connected with Ichigo's. Which in turn transferred over to Uryu, whom initially reacted the same way as his two companions did. However, by some miracle, the raven haired man was able to keep it together. Despite an ever darkening flush threating to take over his entire face.

"G-Good afternoon, uh ma'am." Uryu began, only to mentally chastise himself a second later for saying something as stupid as 'ma'am' to someone who looked the same age as him, "Welcome to _The Red Swan_."

The blond merely smiled a bit wider in response and even giggled a bit; the delightful sound even reaching the ears of the four professors and bouncer. But the positive response was still the same. The sensation felt like a warm liquid instantly being washed over their bodies. Intern causing their pulses to quicken a hair faster by the time the women spoke again. Even the tough-as-nails Kenpachi felt his cheeks burn brightly for the first time in his life.

"Please, you don't have to be so formal." The blond said, all the while the five older attendees were gradually making their way closer, "And I'm sorry if I alarmed everyone when I came in. I didn't realize there was so many people in the room until just now!"

"Aw, water under the bridge!" Grimmjow stated in his thick, velvet rich tone, while nonchalantly combing his hair with his fingers, "But what I'm _way_ keener to know, is what a pretty thing like you is doing here."

"Yeah, I'd also like to know is how you came into possession of a key to the building." Kenpachi said, a bit more inquisitively then Grimmjow's previous question. His voice was still gentle when addressing her though. Well… as gentle as the bouncers voice could get, "The only ones who are supposed to are the two owners and myself. What are you doing with one?"

"Easy now Kenpachi." Gin all but crooned to the much taller bouncer, his wide smile present as per usual, "We have no reason to assume this young lady had done anything wrong."

"No, his concern is well-founded." The unnamed women stated calmly, prompting everyone to look at her again, "I should probably go ahead and explain myself. To answer your question in regards to the key, it was given to me in case of emergencies; and as for what I'm doing here, sis-sis asked me to come by and help Renji with some legal papers."

All the male employee's eyes widened the instant their boss's name passed the women's lips. How could she know that? Nobody's mentioned his name, not even once! Still, the blonde woman must have some relation to him. That would explain how she was able to get a key to the front door.

"Wait, you know Renji?" The strawberry finally asked, his brown eyes looking directly at her.

It only took a couple seconds for the blonde to understand what was going on, when it did it made the woman's smiling face falter a bit.

"Oh… Renji didn't tell you?" She asked almost sadly, if her lightheartedness didn't shine through the most.

Uryu blinked at that, as did Ichigo and Grimmjow, "What's Renji neglected to tell us about?" The speckled wearing man asked.

As if on cue, the said red headed man in question returned through the wide opened service entrance, cautiously carrying a seemly heavy box with cursive purple letters written along the sides. Shuhei and Kensei were only seconds behind with their own armloads.

The blond haired women instantly perked up when her baby blues landed on his muscular form, "Hi Renji!" She called out happily.

Unfortunately, her greeting wasn't received in the same manner. In fact, the instant Renji's narrow brown eyes rose to gaze upon his younger sister's form (while the employees were still loosely surrounding her), he completely freaked! Not only did he scream like he had just saw a ghost, but the tatted man also fell to the ground, intern dropping the entire shipment of expensive liquor he was carrying! The entire display was so unexpected and uncharacteristic for all who knew Renji personally, that none of the men knew what to say afterwards! Least of all Alice, whom gasped loudly when Renji hit the ground hard.

"Renji! God damn it! What the hell are you doing!?" Kensei ranted to his younger boss, as the red heads face initially remained planted to the carpet, "That was almost $400 worth of Crown Royal!"

However, Renji didn't even acknowledged hearing Kensei. As there was only one thing running though his mind right now. The shock of Alice's surprise appearance mentally knocked him for a loop; but somehow Renji was able to pick himself up on his hands and knees, then managing to string words together to form a sentence.

"A-Alice!" Renji breathed out shakily, mostly out of fear for Alice well-being, as his attention remained glued to the baby blued eyed blond, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Oh uh, Kikyo called and asked me to- AH!"

But Renji had no intention of allowing Alice to finish her explanation. Because in that short time span, Renji hopped up, rounded the mass of the bulky bodies (which was fast considering he was pumping on pure adrenaline at this point), snatched his sister into his arms like she was a runaway bride [bags and tablecloths in all], broke through the wall of bodies a different way, and hustled back over to _The Red Swan's _service entrance.

"Just stay in there for a minute, ok?" Renji said, not sounding like a question in the slightest as he plopped Alice off on her feet before slamming the storage room door behind her. Which left her in partial darkness.

_Oh no… what did I do now….? _Alice worriedly thought her herself as she slowly turned her head and glanced behind her.

Before the door was completely closed, Renji had all but threw his back flush against it. As if he was making himself a human barricade. With his body now firmly pressed against the cooler surface of the door, his determined expression faced his 'opponents' head on. And he wouldn't have to wait for the 'attack' long, because after the startling display reached its end, Ichigo and the rest of the male employee's strode right on over. Excluding Shuhei and Kensei since they were already within arm's length of the tatted boss man, only now they were observing with more interest.

"Care to explain what _**that **_was all about Renji?" Sosuke inquired, his tone giving away his intrigue.

"I don't know what you're talking about Sosuke." Renji responded, sounding impassive. Though his muscles remained tense.

"Then who's the girl you practically threw into the storage room a minute ago?" Kenpachi asked bluntly, then grinned wickedly when he spotted the red head bristle at the question.

"She is quite the attractive young lady." Jushiro commented, his voice soft with admiration.

"Yeah, and has a nice little body to boot. Normally I'm not one to go for the wide-eyed innocent types; but it's next to impossible to deny someone that tempting when their standing right in front of me." Grimmjow boldly noted, even having the audacity to lick his lips like the lust craving Casanova he was in front of Renji, "What I wouldn't give for a night with her…"

That was when something officially snapped in Renji's head. Because the next thing anyone knew, the boss man had both hands clenched tight around the collar of Grimmjow's ripped up wife beater. Everyone, including blueberry, was totally alarmed by the suddenness of the action. It all happened so fast. Kenpachi and Kensei weren't even given the opportunity to get between the young men. But that was nothing compared to the expression on Renji's face; which was well within Grimmjow's personal space. The red headed brother's rage was clearly evident, kindled by the spark flashing hotly in his wide, crazed eyes.

"You listen closely Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez … because I'm _**not**_ going to tell you a second time…" Renji started. His voice sounding calm, but the magnitude behind the older brother's words couldn't be anymore clearer, "Time and time again I've seen how easily you can pick up girls when we're out; then not twelve hours later you throw them away without any regard. But I'm warning you… if you so much as _think_ you can do that to the girl on the other side of that door and get away with it, I will gladly castrate you right here and now before you can get within ten feet of her!"

Grimmjow immediately threw his hands up.

"Hey! Hey! Take it easy there Renji! I wasn't really gonna try anything like that, I swear!" The blue haired man admitted, his attitude doing a complete 180 from what it was. It fact it genuinely looked like Grimmjow was afraid. And he had a right to be; Renji words were all around terrifying!

"Renji… calm down, alright? I think he got the message." Ichigo stated calmly, his hand gently placed atop the man's broad shoulder. Before his friend continued, Ichigo waited until he saw Renji's attention shift from Grimmjow to him, "Though it would help if you could clear a few things for us. For starters: just who is that girl anyway?"

The tatted boss man remained silent until he got his breathing back under control. After a couple minutes he eventually calmed down enough to jerk his hands off blueberry. But Renji still didn't trust himself to not strangle Grimmjow; so he crossed his arms over his chest to keep his hands pinned for the time being.

"This is not how I wanted this to go…" Renji finally breathed, which caught everyone by surprise. But it mostly appeared like pineapple was talking to himself and not the group of employee's standing before him, "The plan was to do introductions individually so things wouldn't get blown out of proportion. Alice said something about Kikyo just now- ah damn it! She must have thought I was taking too long and decided to take matters into her own hands! I fucking swear when I get my hands on her-!"

"Ok, hold that thought! Who's Alice? The women who came it just now?" Uryu questioned, thereby getting through the seething man before him.

Renji wordlessly looked at the speckle wearing host with unreadable eyes. Then a half a second later, Renji slowly swept the neutral gaze over all the other employee's in an almost critical way.

"Guess there's no other way around it…" Renji drawled at last. Afterwards his tone remained confident and stronger as he proceeded, "Like Ichigo said, I have to be honest about a couple things. It just didn't come out as cleanly as I hoped it would. Everything about my personal history with Kikyo is the truth. She was my adoptive sister before she became my girlfriend. But what I haven't told you is that she's not my only sibling."

"Huh? What do you mean not your ONLY sibling?" Grimmjow bravely questioned his new boss.

"Will you shut up? I'm getting to that." Renji informed the impatient host sharply, then sobering before he continued, "Here's the real truth: I actually have _two_ sisters. One's my girlfriend, the other's Alice. That name I mentioned a second ago? All three of us moved to San Francisco from Texas together and share our own place. Alice is a few years younger than Kikyo and myself, but we all grew up in the same orphanage. So we're practically family."

"The candids appreciated Renji, but you still haven't answered my question." Ichigo pointed out.

Instead of voicing his answer, Renji went radio silent. He wasn't one for giving out riddles, but this time he wanted everyone present to mull over it for themselves. Because he sure as hell wasn't going to dwell any deeper into his past, it wasn't any of their business anyway, not even his construction friends! That aside, what personal accounts that were squeezed out may have come off as vague from a detail standpoint. But it was enough for a certain observant fox-face to get the gist of rather quickly, seeing as he already knew about the 'other women' beforehand. Whom he can now put a name to a face.

"Isn't it blatantly obvious my young friend?" Gin declared from his spot off to the side next to his colleagues, his eye lids actually lifting a tiny bit to allow his sky blue orbs to peak through, "Alice has already made her debut or were you too busy gawking at her beauty that everything else went flying over your orange florescent head?"

Ichigo's eyes widened, alongside his _Red Swan _coworkers when everything began to click in their heads.

"Wait… you don't mean-" The seemingly rattled strawberry started, but stopped and redirected his question to the tatted older brother instead, "Renji, is Alice-?"

"So you finally got it huh?" Renji rhetorically asked, as he thrust his thumb over his right shoulder, "But yeah, Alice is my younger sister and she's the one I stuffed behind the door."

"Holy hell! _**THAT'S**_ the other chick you live with!?" Ichigo hollered at the top of his lungs, his hilariously stupefied expression would be photogenic worthy.

"You lucky, son-of-a-bitch!" A thoroughly jealous Grimmjow added, while gnawing on his finger nails for further emphasis.

"There wasn't any luck involved moron, don't let your imagination run away with you." Renji corrected the two men, his tone remained steady as he did so, "It's just like I told you; we grew up together. So it's only natural I consider her my sister even though we're not blood related."

"Still Renji, it's hard to comprehend how a guy like you was able to get a girl as cute as that to even talk to you." Uryu stated, only mildly joking.

"Don't make me deck you…" The red head brother warned in the low pitch, while his left eye twitched involuntarily from Uryu's jab.

"Hey Renji." Kensei spoke up for the first time since this situation occurred. The boss man turned to his left to look at him, "Just how long are you planning on keeping your sister locked up in there? I think it's safe to let her out now."

Renji eventually heaved a long sigh, "All right, fine. But I have one condition."

"What's that Renji?" Ichigo asked, speaking for everyone in the room. Though the tatted boss could have done without all the toothy smiles going around.

"Don't think anyone can start making any kind of moves on her." Renji stated bluntly, intern popping _**a lot**_ of bubbles, "She's still my sister, and I'm going to protect her like any good brother would. So starting now, if anyone tries anything funny their gonna have to deal with me. Got it?"

The men nodded meekly, including Grimmjow and the older host club employees. This surprised Renji slightly. He honestly wasn't expecting them to agree to his terms so quickly or without so much as a fuss. But he didn't let it show too much. Never the less, Renji was still going to hold them to their word as men. Alice was worth anything after all.

The red head boss then pivoted his hips, so he could lightly knock on the storage room door without completely turning around.

"Hey Alice?" Renji call out to his sister.

"Yeah?"

"You can come out now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's alright." The red head man informed coolly, while turning the metal door handle and opening it wide enough for the young author to come through.

At first, Alice (still holding the table cloths) peak out over the edge of the opened door nervously. She still wasn't convinced that Renji was ok. Thankfully for the poor girl, that uneasiness was quickly wiped away when she saw her brothers caring smile and wink. A similar one instantly appeared on her own pink lips, which was enough encouragement for the blonde to finally step out and stand next to her taller sibling.

"I'm guessing you heard all that?" Renji asked her again, as he began scratching his scalp. His voice becoming a tad embarrassed as he did so.

Alice's tender expression turned to one of knowing before she answered softly, "Yes, I did."

"You're not mad are you?"

Alice breathed another small laugh at that question.

"Of course I'm not." She told him honestly, her grin even widening a fraction as she continued, "Besides, I figured that was what's been going on. It's not like you haven't done this before after all; so getting angry every time it does would just be a waste of energy at this point."

Renji smiled fondly in return, "Your patient's remarkable, you know that baby girl?"

"Ooooo, baby girl huh?"

Another blood vessel popped somewhere in Renji's forehead when Grimmjow's cheeky taunt reached his ears. Then had to force his body not to act on the impulse to tackle the blue heard womanizer when the boss turned and came face-to-face with Grimmjow's self-satisfied smirk. Ichigo and Uryu also looked a bit smug themselves at hearing Renji's nickname for Alice so soon, despite it being completely unintentional. Kensei, Kenpachi, and the four professor's merely smiled at the pair purposefully. As for Shuhei he wiggled his brows amusingly, his dark grey eyes going from his boss to the attractive looking blonde standing next to him.

"You weren't supposed to hear that!" Renji grit through his clenched teeth to everyone in the room.

"So you're saying we can't use it too?" Grimmjow brazenly asked back. If it was possible his toothy grin widening even more at the implication.

"Are you _trying_ to piss me off?" Renji all but growled back, his tatted brows low to accentuate the severity of his expression, "Because that threat I made earlier is still on the table-!"

The older brother could have continued his rant if he didn't feel a warm hand being placed on the exposed skin of his left arm; the part that wasn't covered by his fitted, stone grey cotton t-shirt. When he looked down and met Alice's peaceful face, his agitation melted like a chocolate bar that's been left out in the sun. Much to the amazement and admiration of all the present _Red Swan _employee's.

"Aren't you supposed to introduce me to everyone?" Alice implied gently to her brother, remembering the previous conversation she eavesdropped on.

That question prompted the muscular individual to immediately deflate from defeat.

"Oh… yeah…" Renji droned, but he still gave in. The red head mentally decided to just suck it up and get it over with since his sister was already here. As Renji took a couple seconds to prepare himself for whatever could happen, Alice had moved to deposit the table cloths on top of the bar counter so that her arms were free. Finally the red headed boss man shifted his attention forward again to address all the waiting spectators.

While using an opened palm and swinging of his thick arm, Renji spoke clearly, "Alice these are all the guys we hired a week and a half ago. I'll introduce them all one-by-one in a second, but first… Guys, this is my younger sister, Alice Rosewood."

Alice (despite having her briefcase' handle clutch between her fingers) softly clasped her delicate hands together behind her back when she stood up a hair straighter. Then politely bowing at the waist in front of the group. When she stood back up again, Alice gave the attendees one of her dazzling, innocent smiles. Which was met in kind. In fact it made much of the men to smile back in interest; much to Renji's chagrin. But that would be something he was going to have to get used to, since Alice would be apart of the payroll pretty soon.

"I'll start with strawberry since he's one of my closer friends." Renji started off, prompting the said orange hair man to take a long, keen step forward, "Alice, this is Ichigo Kurosaki. And yes, he's the same one from my construction job."

"Hello again." Alice started off with a pleasant ring in her voice. Her warm smile looked like it would never leave as she offered up her right hand, "It's nice to finally meet you Ichigo."

"Yeah… likewise…" The young man answered with a broad smile as he courteously shook her hand. Though his tone would suggest he was still only focused on _Alice _and not actually talking to her.

In fact he didn't realize his touch lingered longer than necessary, until Renji let out two sharp coughs.

"Ok, moving on." The brother verbally cut in rudely. But it was enough for Ichigo to pull away on his own. But not without a bright parting smile, which didn't go unnoticed by either of the siblings.

"This is Uryū Ishida." Renji told his younger sister, as the said raven haired man acknowledged that was indeed his name with a nod.

"I'm glad we could have a proper introduction Alice. It's an honor to meet you." Uryu stated in a well-mannered tone, offering his hand to her first like a true gentlemen.

"The honor is mine as well Uryu." Alice said as she returned the handshake. The contact caused the speckled wearing young man to subconsciously blush darkly; it was incredible how soft and warm her hands were. He deduced she moisturized them often.

"Uryu, are you getting a fever?" Alice then asked, with a hint of worry when she noticed the young man's mildly scarlet cheeks when she pulled her hand away, "Your face is turning red."

"Oh! Yes! I'm fine, really." The raven haired man reassured her, though he came close to stuttering it. Instead, he managed to hide his flustered state when Uryu readjusted his glasses, "I just got a little hot is all. The thermostat must have gone up while we've been talking."

_Nice cover story genius. _Renji thought sarcastically, while staring at the man like he was the dumbest person on the planet. But he was grateful to Uryu for keeping things civil with his unsuspected sister for the time being.

The next guy unfortunately didn't follow suit when it came to subtlety; in fact the wife beater wearing schmuck didn't even wait for his boss to tell him it was his turn to be introduced. Renji felt like he was either going to start vomiting profusely or his head was going to explode from all the pent-up aggression when Grimmjow all but materialize in front of Alice by mere inches after she finished talking with Uryu. The naive blonde blinked up at Grimmjow, partly from surprise at the sudden appearance. But giving credit where it was do, she didn't become flustered from being in close proximity to the very attractive and downright sexy man. The red headed brother couldn't help but notice that Grimmjow's smile had taking on a more flirtatious note when he took Alice's dainty right hand, which nestled comfortingly atop his much larger, somewhat calloused left palm. That expression was a drastic switch from blueberries normally provocative approach when churning up a conversation; specifically in reference to a woman who's caught his eye.

"Hey there beautiful, I'm Jaegerjaquez. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez to be exact." The man started off, his confident, unyielding gaze bore down into Alice's unblinking baby blues.

"Grimmjow… Jaegerjaquez?" Alice slowly repeated in a soft voice, wanting to make sure she heard the pronunciation right, "Wow, that's a pretty cool name."

Grimmjow showed off a bit more of his pearly white teeth at that, "Why thank you. I've always appreciated those kinds of compliments…" He drawled off, his right hand coming up so that his thumb could be chastely place on her tender pink lips, "Especially when it comes out of such a delicious looking mouth."

Alice didn't know how her brother did it, but not a millisecond later, Renji's body popped up out of nowhere from somewhere below. Which ultimately forced an irked Grimmjow to take a couple steps away from his 'prize' as Renji was already between them.

"If you have about as much as a brain as you do a set of balls, then I would suggest you think wisely before trying something like that again while I'm only a few feet away!" Renji roared with zealous, going full on defensive mode while Alice stood silently behind him, "Because if you don't… your third time will be your last."

Grimmjow met Renji's hard glare with the same amount of ferocity, but he still backed off wordlessly when he felt a firm hand on either shoulder from Ichigo and Uryu. As the two men were anticipating that blueberry would do or say something foolish if they hadn't.

"I'm Kensei Muguruma, a bartender and the bar manager." The older, light grey haired man said stepping forward, taking it upon himself to shift focus to prevent Alice from being caught in the middle of a brawl, "Nice to meet you ma'am."

"Same for you Mr. Muguruma." Alice greeted kindly, mentally thanking him for the welcomed distraction as she grasped his larger hand to shake, "And you don't have to call me that, I'm not old enough yet."

Kensei chucked lightly in return, while a small smile graced his chiseled features, "That may be. But I've been taught to show respect to all women; no matter how much older or younger they are compared to me. In _and_ out of uniform. So if it's all the same to you, I'm going to continue to do so."

"Oh?" Alice asked, then she remembered his previous occupation from his resume, "Then am I correct to say that you have either a background in the military or law enforcement?"

"Good deduction. I retired from the Army about five year ago."

"Very impressive Mr. Muguruma, and thank you for your service."

"The pleasure is mine ma'am. But please call me Kensei."

Alice's smile instantly widened again before moving her head side-to-side. If Kensei didn't know better, he could have sworn he saw a playful glint in her baby blues when she looked back up at him.

"If you insist on calling me ma'am, then it's only fair I address you as Mr. Muguruma." The blond told the ex-captain courteously.

_Impressive… _Kensei thought to himself as he gently pulled his hand away, his smile slowly morphing into a mild smirk. Most young bucks would have taken the bait and called Kensei by his first name after the invite. They always did when the ex-captain had been stationed at recruiting offices the last few years before his retirement. But Alice did the exact opposite. Kensei instantly new this young lady was different from the others.

"Thank you Kensei." Renji piped up, making it apparent to everyone that he and blueberries issue was resolved during the length of time Alice and the bar manager were talking, "Alice this is Shuhei Hisagi, our other bartender."

"Hey." The tall man's casual greeting reached Alice's ears when she turned towards him. Already holding his hand out and smiling in an amicable and polite manner.

However, Alice didn't move right away to return the greeting like she had been. Because the instant her line of sight came to focus on Shuhei's face, her baby eyes widened a fraction. Then began studying his striking facial features intently, as if the young blonde was trying to remember something.

"Alice? Why are you looking a Shuhei like that?" Renji asked seriously and not without a bit of concern for her sudden change in behavior.

"I think I've seen him somewhere…" Alice finally answered her brother, without taking her eyes off Shuhei.

This was obviously new information for both Renji and Shuhei. But it was her brother that voiced his shock right after her confession.

"Huh? WHERE?!" Renji shouted with dramatic earnest from his spot beside his younger sister.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Alice informed him calmly.

Alice then spent the next full minute attempting to recollect why Shuhei looked so familiar to her. _Come on… It's right on the tip of my tongue…! _She mentally struggled.

Just when she was starting to feel like stomping her foot in frustration, a brief flash from her memory came back to her and it made the young author gasp in realization.

"Now I remember!" Alice exclaimed suddenly, her sparkling eyes brightening up her already beaming face, "About a month ago, Kikyo and I were on our way to a dinner party when we passed by our favorite downtown bar called _Broken Boots_ and I saw you on the stage. You were singing "Neon Moon" by Brooks and Dunn!"

The other _Red Swan _employee's openly gawked at the new information, while the implied musician in the room couldn't stop grinning from ear-to-ear at the lovely blonde.

"What an unexpected turn of events…" Shuhei started off happily, his fingers messing up his already unruly hair style when he ran them through it, "So you saw me singing huh? That's funny, I don't remember seeing you in there that night."

Alice initially hummed and nodded, both in affirmative and excitement, before stating, "Well I was only able to listen to that one song. Kikyo was kind of in a hurry so I couldn't stay for the whole performance."

Shuhei openly clacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, "That's a shame…" He uttered, making his disappointment evident. Then his demeanor lighten up a heartbeat later before asking, "So what kind of music are you into Alice? That's is, if you're comfortable with telling me."

"Oh no, I don't mind!" Alice responded in a positive tone, "Let see… well when it comes to music I'm not very picky; you can ask Renji. We're both pretty diverse in tastes that way. But if I had to tell you my top three, then it would have to be pop, country and celtic. I listen to a lot of classic country too; I like to hear it playing while I'm going about my morning routine and at the end of a long day."

"Do you have any favorite artists?" Shuhei inquired again, becoming more and more enthralled with her by the minute.

"Uh! That's hard, I have so many!" Alice started off, instantly getting all fidgety which much of the men found cute as they watched, "I love Brooks and Dunn obviously. I'm also partial to Reba McEntire, Wynonna Judd, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins-"

"JOHNNY CASH AND MARTY ROBBINS?!" Shuhei yelled suddenly, cutting Alice off, "I _**love**_ those guys!"

"Me too!" Alice admitted with glee, all but bouncing on the balls of her feet at this point, "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and "Ring of Fire" are my favorite hits from Cash, but I love so many of Robbins songs that I find myself listening to whole albums in one sitting. The song "Feleena" is the one I have an emotional affair with though. I _have _to listen to that one at least once a day!"

"Where have you been all my life?" Shuhei questioned passionately (if not deliriously too), with a half-lidded expression on his dopey face.

The red headed boss man couldn't help but genuinely smile as he watched the adorable exchange between the young bartender and his beloved sister. Unlike the younger blonde, classic country was the one genre Renji couldn't get into hard core no matter how hard he tried. But now it seemed Shuhei was the successful one in finding something in common with Alice right out of the gate. That edge, Renji couldn't help but notice, was what made Grimmjow, Ichigo and Uryu glare in displeasure as they too observed the conversation a couple feet behind their boss. The tatted brother on the other hand wasn't agitated at all; just because a man and a women had similar interests, that didn't mean it would lead to anything romantic.

Renji would still be keeping a close eye on Shuhei though.

By now Alice's spontaneous conversation with the amateur musician was coming to a lull point, which gave Renji the opportunity to gently interject.

"Sorry to interrupt."

"That's ok Renji." Alice said in her same, sweet way, when she finally looked away from Shuhei, "There still some men I've yet to be introduced to right?"

The said man nodded and looked over his shoulder at the walking mountain admits the small group, "This is our new bouncer, Kenpachi Zaraki." Renji informed his sister.

Kenpachi hesitated at first before stepping wordlessly over to their young female guest. Not being one to follow the code of etiquette, the scarred man's neutral expression was merely tipped back in greeting. It wasn't like he was intentionally trying to be rude, but Kenpachi has gotten all sorts of reactions when it comes to his appearance. Almost always being a negative. So it was only natural to assume this girl was going to do the same thing. But instead of screaming at the sight of his marred up face or immediately babbling out some 'why he shouldn't be working here' argument, Alice only made one innocent comment.

"Wow, your big mister." Alice murmured in a hushed tone. Her baby blue eyes as wide as saucers when he took in Kenpachi's massive height difference in comparison to most men shes come acrossed.

Seconds later Kenpachi surprised everyone by throwing his head back and letting out the loudest laughter they had ever heard one man make. It sounded like it come from somewhere deep inside his wide, burly chest.

"You're not wrong little lady." Kenpachi wolfishly grinned after his thunderous laughter quieted down, his one uncovered eye glinting down at the smaller women, "Gotta hand it to you, your pretty gutsy."

"Huh? How's commenting on your height supposed to be gutsy?" Alice boldly asked the bouncer, her thin, blond eyebrows crunched together in perplexity.

Instead of answering, Kenpachi laughed out loud once more. "I think you and I are going to get along fine little lady!" He gloated, bending over almost to a 90 degree angle so his face was inches away from Alice's.

The young author was still a little baffled by Kenpachi's lack of clarification, causing her to blink up at him a couple more times blankly. However, that didn't stop Alice from gifting the tall bouncer with a warm smile.

"I sure hope so Mr. Zaraki!" Alice stated pleasantly.

After Renji nodded up at Kenpachi in gratitude, the older brother motioned over to the four remaining male individuals. Aside from Jushiro commenting on Alice's beauty at the start of this whole thing, the four professors have remained relatively quiet. Seemingly out of respect for the situation, but also partly out of contentment with observing until the attention came on them.

"You may know these guys too Alice." Renji told his sister, simultaneously informing the four most intellectual individuals of _The Red Swan _crew, "They're all instructors at San Francisco State."

"Really? That's so neat!" Alice stated happily, directing it towards the said professors and not her older sibling, "I mean, I knew they each had doctorates from their applications, but I didn't expect them to be teaching on _my_ campus!"

"Wait, so that means you're a student at San Francisco State, Alice?" Sosuke questioned the blonde, actually sounding a bit amazed by the information.

"Yes sir." Alice immediately answered the man, "I'm starting my senior year this fall. My major is Creative Writing, with a minors in British and American Literature."

"Ahhh… so you're an English major…" Gin pronounced, his mischievous smile doing a fair job in hiding his wonderment and admiration, "Brains as well as beauty; what a charming combination for a vision such as yourself."

Alice smiled politely in response to the silver haired fox's words, but was still genuinely flattered by what she heard. Evident by the fine blush that dusted her cheeks.

"Your too kind sir."

"Gin Ichimaru, please." The said man corrected, stepping forward with an outstretched, boney pale hand, "I'm a cellular biology and anatomical sciences professor."

"Oh wow, those sound like difficult fields of study to be in." Alice commented, while she gently grasped the professor's palm.

"It can be burdensome at times, but I've always been a curious person. I never stop until I uncover the truth about anything and everything." Gin admitted, his tone on the passionate side. Which was a stark contrast from his playful expression.

Alice mouthed an 'oh', both in admiration and fascination of the professors life goals. It appeared she and Gin had a lot more in common then she first thought and secretly hoped to have a lot more philosophical-like conversations with him in the near future.

"I'm Jūshirō Ukitake, my dear." The white haired professor introduced himself. Promptly making Alice smile when she took notice if his colorful attire, coupled with his child-like enthusiasm, it made the older man seem all-around adorable, "I'm one of the business departments accounting professors." 

"It's nice to finally meet you in person Professor Ukitake." Alice greeting him equally as warmly, "Many of my on-campus acquaintances have spoken very highly of you."

"It's heartwarming to know that my students think that way about my teaching abilities." Jushiro stated, smiling in a way that would have made other women swoon, "But it's a shame I've never been given the honor of your presents in one of my classes."

Alice matched his smile in kind, along with a small giggle, "Finance and I have never gotten along. That's why I've stayed as far away from business lectures for as long as I've been enrolled at San Francisco State."

Jushiro also chuckled in response, "Accounting is not for everyone, believe me. Throughout my years as a teacher, I've seen students come in and then drop out half way through the semester because the course was far more difficult that it was illustrated as."

"It's the same for writing too." Alice stated in agreement, "It may seem straightforward at first glance, but in truth there are much more components involved. But I love it because it lets me express my creative side and that's more important to me then earning a bigger paycheck."

"Sounds like a girl after my own heart." Kaname declared, his tone throaty, yet sincere as he took the necessary steps closer to the women in question.

Alice figured out that this man was blind without being told; as the dark sunglasses and white cane were pretty tall-tale indicators. But that did little to null the appreciation the baby blue eyed blond had for the professors evident effortlessness in moving around, even admits a crowded room, before stopping short of where she currently stood.

"It's a pleasure to make your acqua- oh!"

Alice stopped the moment she felt Kaname's right index and middle fingers gently touch the underlining of her jaw; both were curled inward as a way to lift her chin ever so slightly.

"Do not be afraid Alice." Kaname told her in reassurance, not moving his hand until he stated, "This is my way of painting what you look like in my mind."

"He did this to Kikyo during the interview a few weeks ago." Renji put his two cents in. His tone remained neutral, but he still eyed the digits feeling his sisters pale skin intently.

Alice breathed out a quiet 'ah…' while she continued to stand still for the dreadlock haired professor, as he proceeded to lightly caress her face with the velvety soft pads of his fingers. She'd heard of blind individuals (especially children) using this technique, since they could no longer rely on their eyesight, they had to explore the world using other means. But Alice had ever seen it for herself, let alone it have it done on _her_. So needless to say it was a strange experience at first, but Alice wouldn't have admitted it. As she could tell Kaname appreciated her cooperation, despite just meeting him.

"You have very delicate and flawless features Miss Rosewood. An unusual quality for such a young lady to possess." Kaname complemented, his touch becoming bolder as he expanded his search perimeter. Because once he was finished thoroughly studying the exterior of her smooth face, Kaname moved downward to run his palm along her exposed neck, "The soft-spoken tone of your voice betrays your sometime shy, timid nature. But when you addressed your passion for writing a moment ago, I could hear the adoration dripping off every word. That proves to me that you are a women with a love for the arts and possess the agnate ability in finding the beauty in the most unsuspecting of things. An artist's soul if you will."

"With all due respect sir, I think you have the wrong impression of me." Alice tried to correct, but was stopped when the professors opposite hand (the one that wasn't lying flat against the base of her neck) rose up to grasp a few strands of her soft curly hair.

"Such a thing for a humbled person to say…" Kaname started, the corners of his mildly full lips curling upwards into a lopsided smile, "And my name is Kaname Tōsen, not 'sir'. You can call me Mr. Tosen or simply Kaname if you wish."

Before Alice could voice anything more, Kaname slowly tilted his upper body forward, enough to where the man's cheek was in close proximity of her lips. Within seconds the still girl heard Kaname take in a deep breath of air.

"Is that peaches I smell?" He forwardly asked, his hot breath tickling the sensitive skin of her neck.

Alice immediacy blushed a hair more darkly, "Yes, it's my favorite smelling perfume." She informed him with a pleasant smile.

"The perfect aroma for a true southern belle." Kaname noted, as he finally pulled away from the shorter women, "I'll think of you every time I breathe in that wonderful scent."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Tosen." Alice replied courteously, before thinking a second later, _Wow… I'm not used to being around someone so charming. But then again… everyone has been nothing but considerate since I arrived. It was so silly of me to think something bad was going to happen when I came over without any warning; still… I don't want to give Renji another scare like one for a while if I can help it._

"Last but not least is Sōsuke Aizen." Renji's voice cut into Alice thoughts. Prompting her to look up to see the fourth and final professor already standing in front of her.

The shrewd and calculating expression on his face would have been labeled as intimating, if it wasn't for the softness in his brown eyes and the polite gentleness in his voice when he spoke directly to the pretty blonde guest.

"Good afternoon dearest, how lovely it is to meet you." Sosuke greeted as he tenderly took Alice's hand like he was going to shake it. But instead he moved it flat against his palm, to which he was comfortably able to place a balmy, lingering kiss on the back of her dainty appendage.

The instant Sosuke's lips touched her skin, she softly made a surprised squeak sound. Not even Alice's left hand could have muffled it when she covered her mouth.

Sosuke felt his lips twitch upward in a satisfied smirk when he heard it, intern allowing Alice to see it fully when he looked up at her.

"I take it no man has ever done this to you?" The psychology professor noted, as it didn't sound like a question at all.

"N-No, it isn't that." Alice started bashfully, to which caused Sosuke's smile to slip a fraction in blatant irritation, "I just didn't expect it. Not many men practice this form of chivalry anymore; at least not in the US. I've seen a lot of foreign male student's do it at San Francisco State though."

"Then I guess that means I'm one of those dying breeds of men." Sosuke stated confidently, then placing one last quicker kiss on the back of Alice's hand for good measure, before letting it go.

"Now that you know everyone's names, what brings you over here anyway Alice?" Renji asked his sister as she turned her baby blues back to him, "You tried to tell me earlier, but…"

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Alice gasped at the reminder, before turning slightly to talk directly to her brother, "I'd barely gotten home from the luncheon, when Kikyo called and asked if I could inspect those license forms before faxing them out to the cities business bureau offices."

"But why YOU?" Renji asked, looking completely baffled, "I could have done that. It would have saved you the trip!"

"I know. It's just Kikyo couldn't get ahold of you; she tried several times but you never answered or called back."

While Alice was explaining, Renji began digging around in his jean pockets for his IPhone until he finally found it. But when he attempted to unlock his cell to check his call history, Renji immediately understood what the problem was.

"Uh, the battery is dead." Renji admitted in a deadpan tone, staring at the black screen like it was mocking him somehow.

All the present male employee's let out a simultaneous blanch; no wonder the boss lady had to send their housemate over. Who knew Renji could be so irresponsible! Alice on the other hand merely let out a lighthearted sigh.

"Well that explains it." Alice murmured, giving her brother a caring smile and a small laugh, "Kikyo also said she'd to be working late tonight; so it'll just be you and I for dinner."

"Fine with me." Renji shrugged nonchalantly, putting his lifeless phone back in his pocket for now, "I feel bad that you have to wait around for me though. Guys are supposed to do that, not the girls!"

"It's ok, really I don't mind!" The baby blue eyed blond told her brother in positive reassurance, "Besides, it's not like I'm going to be sitting around doing nothing. If there's as much paperwork as sis-sis says there is, it should keep me busy for an hour at least."

"Thanks for your consideration, baby girl." The red headed brother thanked, while smiling fondly at his younger sibling, "Other than the meeting, which should only take a few minutes, there are still a few other tasks I need to finish up before we can leave. Hopefully we'll get done with everything around the same time you do."

"Sounds like a plan!"

"You can head on up to the office if you want. Here are the keys. The stack of forms are sitting right on top of the desk."

"Thank you, Renji. I'll come back down when I'm done."

"Excuse me."

Renji and Alice looked over at Sosuke, whom stood in the same place as when he was talking with the young author moments ago.

"I don't mean to pry, but before Alice is excused, I wanted to ask if we'd have the pleasure of her company tomorrow night?" The professor asked inquisitively.

The tatted boss man noticed how all _The Red Swan_ employees perked up at that question out the corner of his eye.

"And why wouldn't she be?" Renji asked, taking this moment to tell everyone yet another thing he 'neglected' to mention, "Kikyo wanted to bring Alice in as a part-time help from the start and not just for the office work either."

"So your saying-" Kensei started, but stopped when he saw Alice nodding her head in affirmative.

"I'm going to be here during service hours too. But strictly as a food and drink server, nothing more. I'll also be helping out with cleaning and side-work duties too. So you'll be seeing me a lot more around here!" Alice informed her new male co-workers, both with a cute wink and warm smile.

Grimmjow didn't even try hiding his enthusiasm about the discovery. He actually pumped his fist in dramatic fashion, while hissing a triumphant 'yesssss!' through grinning teeth. Ichigo and Uryu looked just as stoked; except their celebration was performed inside their heads. But that didn't mean they weren't smiling from ear-to-ear. Kensei and Kenpachi simply nodded and smiled welcomingly in Alice's direction. Shuhei too acknowledged the blondes admittance into _The Red Swan_ crew with a nod: however the thought that excited him the most was working so closely with her. The young male musician could tell Alice was a hard worker just by looking at her. Plus it would give him the excuse to learn more about her along the way. Sosuke, Gin, Kaname, and Jushiro were also delighted about the prospect of having Alice as another coworker to the host club. Not to mention each one were very much interested in uncovering more about this mysterious and captivating young woman in their spare time. For now, all four smiled in her direction in kind.

"I won't delay things any longer… see you again in a little while Renji." Alice started courteously, then directing her words towards everyone else as well as she nimbly made her way to the stairs located on the opposing side of the room, "Again it was a pleasure to me you all!"

Several pleasant murmurs reached Alice's and Renji's ears in response as the baby blue eyed blondes form retreated and ascended the stairs without pause. Her Mary Jane heels making muffled clacks against the carpet in her wake. Not to mention the moderate to obvious long full stares following her exit from every pair of eyes in the room.

Which caught the attention of the protective brother when the glass office door was fully closed behind Alice.

"HEY! MORONS!" Renji hollered, clapping hands high above his head in theatrical fashion to get the wordless point of 'stop staring at my sister like that' acrossed, "If your all done checking my sister out, can we _**please **_get to the task at hand before we're here till dark?"

Again more murmurs met the boss man's ears, only this time they were duller. Informing Renji that the new employee's didn't appreciate that they were snapped out of whatever reverie they were each having about the pretty blonde that was no longer present. The said red head however couldn't be happier about the situation. True he wished things happened a completely different way than it had, but in retrospect the male employee's and Alice's first introductions could have gone a lot worse… _**WAY **_worse. But now that it was over, Renji could move on and turn his attention elsewhere.

But the question still remained as to what was going to happen now that Alice was seen and was here to stay. Would _The Red Swan _employees be so persistent, intern turning the host club into a battleground for the chance of getting into a relationship with Alice? And if that was the case, just how far would the guys go in order that make it a reality? Renji didn't expect everyone to do anything outlandish right off the bat; as they still had a job to do and over half of the men were double his sister's age, and may not even like her that way. But Renji's still planning on watching every interaction like a hawk for a time until he's confident things don't escalate to dangerous levels or if Alice becomes distressed in anyway.

Who knew opening nights could be so stressful? And in more ways than one!

**A/N****: Finally! I've returned! Took me long enough I know, but the second half of this last semester was crazier than I anticipated. I already had most of this chapter done already, but like I said before, I didn't have much free time to add the last few touches. I had thought about making this chapter longer; but this was already 40+ pages and I was already 3 months behind in posting so I made the executive decision to break it up into 2 parts. I'll start on 'opening night part 2' as soon as I am able, but I'm not making any promises as to WHEN the fourth chapter will come out. As I've already proven how unreliable I am in that department. I appreciate your patience with me thus far though! See you all next time! **


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